Say Something
by Torchwhovian
Summary: Alex Hunter is the cambion girlfriend of Sam Winchester. When he said yes to Lucifer and the world was overrun by Croatoans, she didn't know what to do. Instead of believing the Colt would kill him, she goes on a mission to find Gabriel's archangel blade. When she runs across a group trying to survive in a prison she wonders if they can help her save Sam. Established SamxOC
1. Chapter 1

Alex Hunter didn't sleep much anymore. It was different when she and Dean were actively hunting monsters but now it was almost impossible to get even those few hours. Giving up on the endeavor, Alex pulled on her boots and went outside to get some air. She let the cabin door slam behind her. There was nobody to wake up anyway. She climbed on the roof of her cabin and sat there, staring at the stars.

When Dean saw her the next morning, he took in her tired appearance. "You look like crap."

"Thanks." Alex said sarcastically. "It's your compliments that keep you dear to my heart."

"You're no good to me when you're burned out, Lex." Dean softened his tone. "You're no good for the camp either."

"What do we need?" Alex asked, gesturing to the paper he held in his hands.

Dean gave her the list. "I'll send Yager and Risa with you."

"I'll go alone." Alex said. When Dean opened his mouth to speak, she cut him off. "I can't get infected. There's no point in risking those two when I can do this by myself."

"Fine. But when you get back, you get some rest." Dean commanded.

Alex nodded in acknowledgment and braided her long black hair before getting her gun and duffel bags. She tossed the bags on the passenger seat of the Impala, which she had had to fight Dean from turning into a lawn ornament. Since she couldn't get infected with the Croatoan virus, it didn't matter if her car was quiet. Dean had argued that the engine would draw Crotes to the camp, but the sound seemed to annoy the creatures and they stayed away.

Ever since Sam had told Lucifer 'yes', she felt like she had died. She had thought for sure that he would keep saying 'no' but he didn't. Lucifer had promised that Alex and Dean wouldn't get hurt if Sam agreed. She and Dean had set up at Camp Chitaqua, a summer camp a few hours from Bobby's house and started finding survivors after the virus hit. They had a pretty large camp by now and everybody had their jobs. Chuck had been one of the first to join them, along with Bobby and Castiel.

Alex smiled a small smile when she saw the bag of peanut M&Ms on the shelf and grabbed the bag. She finished the rest of her scavenging and went back to her camp. She hid the M&Ms in her cabin before giving the rest of the supplies to Chuck.

"Good haul?" Dean asked as he passed her on her way to her cabin.

Alex tossed him the bag of candy. "What do you think?"

Dean chuckled before opening the bag and tossing a few candies into his mouth. Alex declined when he offered them to her. He waited until he swallowed before he spoke. "We found the Colt."

"What do you plan on doing with it?" Alex asked as she started to walk again.

Dean fell into step beside her. "Kill the devil."

"Lucifer isn't a demon, Dean." Alex kept her voice low so the others walking by wouldn't hear her.

"But he's the devil." Dean countered. "So, unless you got a better idea, we're going after it."

"An archangel's blade would stop him." Alex said. They had this argument before.

"Nobody could get that close to him." Dean said.

"It's better than something that _might _ kill him." Alex flung her door open and stomped inside. "I know you think that I'm crazy since we lost Sam but the Colt won't do any good."

"Even if we could get close enough to Lucifer, we don't know where an angel blade is." Dean reminded her.

"I can try to find one." Alex said. "Maybe there's a ritual that I can do."

"I thought you weren't doing your hocus pocus because it made it easier for Lucifer to find you."

"What good is it being a cambion if I can't at least stop Lucifer. Maybe I can even save Sam."

Dean sighed. "It wouldn't do any good. You know that vessels aren't much use when they're empty."

"Let me try." Alex begged.

"Fine. But if this doesn't work, we find the Colt." Dean said, tossing a few more M&Ms in his mouth.

Alex looked through Bobby's books, trying to find a ritual that would work. She searched for hours before she found something: a blood spell. Those weren't ideal but she didn't have a choice in the matter. She laid out the map on the table, mixed the herbs and sliced her hand, allowing the blood to drip onto the map. Saying the incantation, she lit the map and waited for it to burn out.

"Georgia." Alex said to herself. "Looks like the angel blade is in Georgia."

She went to inform Dean that her ritual had worked. "You're not going alone."

"Dean." Alex sighed.

"I'm not losing you too." Dean said.

"They need you here." Alex said, shoving some supplies in a bag.

"Bobby and Cas can handle things." Dean argued. Alex snorted when he mentioned the angel. "Well, maybe not Cas, but Bobby can take care of the camp. This is too dangerous to go alone."

"The farther from this camp I am, the safer you are. They need you here. I'm probably going to have to go dark side while I'm gone and that makes it easier for Lucifer to find me." Alex said.

"We either go together or you don't go at all." Dean glared at her.

"Is that your final answer?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. It is." Dean said.

"Pity." Alex punched him and he fell on the bed as he blacked out. She would pay for that when she got back, she was sure. She grabbed her keys and a gas can then tossed her bag into the Impala and left the camp.

Ooo000ooo000ooo0000

While Alex and Dean were arguing about her departure, Rick was leading his group to their new home at a prison he and the group had partly cleared. He and Daryl found the armory and among guns, ammo, and flash bangs they found an odd looking sword.

"Hey, Rick. What do you think this is?" Daryl asked, holding up the sword.

"Don't know." Rick said. "But if it works against Walkers, we'll take it."

**A/N: Hello readers. I know this chapter was short but it was meant to be introductory. The next chapter will have more of our Walking Dead group in it. I will be following fairly closely to certain parts of the show. I hope all of you enjoy this story and don't hesitate to leave any thoughts or comments that you have. Either PM me or leave a review if you'd like. Thank you for reading. xo**


	2. Chapter 2

The farther away Alex got from the camp the more different the Crotes were. They were slower, decaying, and definitely easier to kill. When she got to Missouri, she stopped by her hometown and found her old house. She turned off the Impala, which she rechristened Moose when Dean gave it to her, and sat in the car for a long few minutes. She decided that it wasn't worth going in because she didn't know what she would find. She needed to rest though, she had been driving for a day and a half. She locked the doors and rolled up the windows before curling up on the front seat and let her body rest.

Alex got an early start so she was able to get to Georgia by mid afternoon. While the ritual had given her a general area, there was no way to know exactly where the blade was. She performed a locating spell with a compass and followed where it told her to go. It took another five hours to get to where the compass told her. It was a prison. There were a few Crotes crowding around the fences but what caught her attention was the group of people walking around outside. They turned when they heard Moose approaching and she turned off the ignition and stepped out of the car, killing off the few Crotes that approached her.

She wasn't overly surprised when they raised their guns and pointed them at her. "I'm not here to cause any trouble."

"Who are you?" A dark haired man with a revolver asked.

"My name is Alex Hunter. I'm from Camp Chitaqua." Alex said with her hands in the air.

"What are you doin' here?" A man with a cross bow asked.

"I know how to stop this virus and what I need is inside there." Alex gestured to the prison with her head.

The man with the revolver and the one with the cross bow exchanged a few quiet words and decided to let her in a few seconds later. They held her in between the fences, keeping her out of the front yard of the prison.

"There ain't no way to cure this virus." The cross bow man said.

"There is." Alex replied.

"How?" Revolver said.

"That's a long story and one I'd rather not tell outside." Alex was sweating. It wasn't normally this humid at her camp.

"I'm not bringing you inside."

"I'm going to take what I need to whether you let me or not." Alex said, lowering her arms.

"What if I kill you?" Revolver pulled back the hammer on his gun.

"You can try." Alex said. So far she and Dean hadn't found a way that could kill her so a normal bullet wouldn't do anything.

"Walkers!" She heard a little boy shout. Her demon half gave her better senses and she heard it before Revolver and Cross bow did. The men started running but Alex was faster. She didn't think to not use her powers, instead she vanished mid run and reappeared by the Crotes. Her machete moved quickly as her eyes turned black but there were too many Crotes. A one legged man on crutches pushed one away and a pregnant woman ran with the boy.

Alex hadn't used her demon abilities very much and decided it was worth the risk to save these people. She raised her hand and clenched her fist and a dozen Crotes's brains exploded in their skulls, dropping their bodies. She could hear gunshots as the boy and several others kept shooting. Alex shouted at them. "Just go!"

They stared at her black eyes for a long few seconds before turning and running. An alarm blared, causing Alex to flinch. She glanced around and saw the people were safe. Pulling her gun out, she took out the few Crotes and was joined by Revolver and Cross bow. They helped her clear the area before the man with the gun fired at the speaker at the top of the building.

"Where's Lori?" Revolver asked the one legged man. He pointed them in the direction of the other gate and Revolver ran through.

"You stay here." Cross bow glared at her, taking in her eyes and gun.

"No." Alex's reply was simple as she followed Revolver up the stairs and into the prison. Dean had always said that their job was to save people and hunt things and she wasn't going to let these people die. Crotes were all over the place and even though they were slower than the ones at home, they came in larger groups. It would take a lot of energy to stop them all since her abilities were 'flabby'. She stopped midstride and closed her eyes, picturing all the Crotes dead.

"I can't find Lori." Revolver shouted. "Somebody is playing games! Find those generators and whoever gets there first, shut them down!"

Alex followed them through the prison and realized her powers weren't strong enough to kill all of the creatures. They were chased by the Crotes until they got to the generator room and the creatures piled against the door as Cross bow and a black man tried to hold it closed.

"How do you turn these off?" Revolver shouted over the alarms.

"There should be a turn off switch." The black man said.

Alex started looking over the large generators for a switch when she heard a shout and saw sparks flying. A second black man had attacked Revolver with an ax.

"Stop!" Alex flung the man with the ax backwards until he hit a wall. That didn't stop him from trying to get up and attack again. She mustered her strength and pushed him back again, keeping him against the wall. "I said stop!"

"How are you doing that?" Revolver asked.

"Just turn that alarm off." Alex said as she tried to focus. The man was trying to stand up and she glared at him through her demon eyes. "Let's sit a spell."

Castiel had told her that her powers would get stronger the more she used them, but she didn't realize how quickly that would happen. The longer she held the man in place, the easier it became. Revolver got the alarms off and only the snarls of the Crotes and panting of the humans was heard.

"Do you want me to let him go?" Alex asked, glancing at Revolver. He nodded and Alex released her hold on the black man. Revolver was ready when he was attacked by the man and Alex didn't waste any time turning him into a small plastic man.

"What the hell are you?" Cross bow was watching her, ready to strike with a knife in his hands.

"I'm a demon and it's my fault this world happened." Alex finally admitted it to herself and let the loss she had taken sink in as she started to sob. They marched her to a jail cell and locked her in, letting her cry by herself. It felt like hours later before anybody came to see her and when they did come, it was Cross bow.

"You're going on a run with me." He said, unlocking her door.

"What do you need?" Alex asked, wiping her eyes.

"Baby formula."

"You have a baby here?"

"We do now."

Alex took that to mean that the pregnant woman, Lori, had given birth. "We can take my car."

"My bike is faster."

"I can kill Crotes and carry more with my car." Alex countered. She followed Cross bow out to the prison courtyard and a brunette girl and Asian man followed them. "They're coming too?"

Cross bow nodded.

"I'm Maggie. This is Glenn." Maggie said. "That's Daryl."

"Alex." She started Moose and true to her word, she was able to run over almost every Crote she had come across. They packed a pack and play, bottles, clothes, and some formula they were able to find into the trunk and made their way back. Daryl locked Alex back in her cell when they got back and she sat there, waiting. Maggie brought her some food and told her everybody's names. Hershel, Daryl, and Glenn came to talk to her a few minutes later.

"You said this was all your fault." Daryl said. "How?"

"You wouldn't believe me." Alex said softly.

"You'd be surprised at what we'd believe." Hershel's voice was gentle.

Alex took a deep breath. "This all started because I wasn't strong enough to kill the devil when I should have. He's an angel and in their true form, angels need vessels or host bodies to survive here on Earth. An angel needs permission to use a person's vessel. Lucifer found his. Michael hasn't yet that's why the world is still here."

"Michael and Lucifer? The archangels?" Hershel asked.

Alex nodded. "The Crotes are caused by the Croatoan virus, which is why I can't be infected. I'm half demon. It's called a cambion and I'm supposed to be Lucifer's weapon."

"Why ain't you?" Daryl asked.

"Because my job is to save people." Alex replied. "There's a weapon here that will help me stop Lucifer and I need to find it."

"What is it?" Glenn asked.

"It's an archangel's blade. It'll kill Lucifer." Alex said.

"How do you know?" Hershel asked.

"Because I do." Alex said quickly. "I just want the weapon and I want to go. We have room at our camp for all of you. We have cabins, water, food, and other people."

"We'd have to run it by Rick." Glenn said, sharing a look with Hershel and Daryl.

Alex spent the night alone with Daryl on guard outside of her cell. She kept quiet and, once again, didn't sleep. She laid there and wondered how she would ever be strong enough to kill Lucifer.

**A/N: Thank you for reading this chapter. Thanks to **dulcinea54 **for adding this story to her following alerts. I love knowing people are interesting in knowing where this story is going. Feel free to leave a review on your way out. They are always appreciated. xo**


	3. Chapter 3

"Damn it, Cas. We need to find her." Dean said angrily.

"We're doing all we can, Dean." Castiel promised, taking a drink from his absinthe bottle. "Without my grace I can only do so much."

Dean watched Castiel take another drink of his bottle before yanking it from his hands and throwing it against the wall. "This is Alex. Find her. Now."

"We're doing what we can, son." Bobby said calmly. Alex was like a daughter to him and it worried him to have her gone, especially in her condition.

Chuck called for Dean and the elder Winchester glared at the ritual in front of him before stomping out of the cabin.

"I thought we couldn't track cambions." Bobby said, rubbing his eyes as he tossed his book on the table.

"We can't. But we can track my grace as long as she still has it in her locket." Castiel said.

"Why'd you give her your grace anyway?" Bobby asked.

"If she is going to be the one to kill Lucifer and Sam along with him, she needs all the strength she can get." Castiel made a list of the ingredients they would need for the tracking spell and went to find Dean.

Meanwhile, Lucifer was in the process of trying to track Alex as well, though it was mostly to stop Sam's incessant begging to have her with them. Lucifer knew Sam wanted Alex as far away from Lucifer as possible but the Winchester's heart betrayed him. She was sending off tiny power flares, even if she didn't know she was, and it was becoming easier to pinpoint her location. Add a few demons placed in the right areas and soon both he and Sam would have their Alex.

Hershel was the one who was the most interested in Alex's stories, especially the angels and demons. He seemed a little disappointed that they were so brutal but he wasn't surprised.

"Not all of the angels are bad. Some of them understand humans; want them to live." Alex said from behind her barred door of her cell. "Lucifer isn't like that though. He thinks humans are a plague. Demons too."

"You said that you were half demon." Hershel said. "Doesn't he despise you as well?"

"He says I'm special." Alex said, her throat tightening. "But if this is being special then I don't want to be like this anymore."

"Why?" Hershel's question was soft.

"Because I should have saved Sam and I'm ashamed that I couldn't." Alex said and cleared her throat. She glanced at his missing foot. "I can give you your leg back."

"How?" Hershel asked.

"I'm a demon. Demons make deals." Alex had successfully changed the subject. "Do you want it back?"

"What would you get in return?"

Alex shrugged. "Most demons deal in souls but I don't. I deal in information or things I want."

"What do you want?" Hershel smiled.

"Hmmm." Alex tapped her chin while she pretended to think. "I want to help you people. Let me help you where I can or where you will let me and I'll give you your leg back."

"Interesting deal." Hershel said. He called for Carl to bring the keys and unlocked her cell.

"We seal the deal with a kiss." Alex said, stepping forward. "Is that okay with you?"

Hershel chuckled but nodded and Alex pressed her lips against his. When they pulled away, Hershel started to groan and shouted. Daryl, Beth, Maggie, and Glenn came running, weapons drawn and trained on Alex.

"What did you do to him?" Maggie shouted. She stared at her father when she saw him standing on two legs.

"I gave him back his leg." Alex said, her hands in the air. "It hurts when it has to regrow but it'll stop when it's finished. He'll need to rest but he'll be okay."

Maggie lowered her gun and hugged Alex before helping her father to his bed so he could rest. Beth followed her sister and Glenn lowered his gun as he spoke. "If you can do that, why haven't you killed us yet?"

"I don't kill people. I save them." Alex said simply. "Are you going to lock me up again?"

"You're gonna help me clear the lower levels." Daryl said, dropping his crossbow to his side. "Come on."

Alex tucked her machete into it's holster along with her gun and braided her hair as they walked. She tossed the braid behind her back and grasped her machete in one hand and the demon knife in the other. As they explored the lower levels, looking for Crotes, Daryl saw the knife and was curious.

"Where'd you get that?" Daryl didn't look at her when he spoke.

"This demon tricked my boyfriend into drinking demon blood so he would let the devil out of his cage." Alex said. "After he almost killed me, Dean killed her and stole her knife. This is one of the coolest knives I've used."

Daryl shot a lone Crote with his bow and pulled the arrow out of its head as they walked past. "Why'd he almost kill ya?"

"Because I let the host body of the demon he was about to drink go." Alex sliced through a Crote's head easily.

"That's messed up." Daryl said.

"It sounds worse than it was. Sam wasn't like that." Alex said. She wished that she didn't have to talk about this anymore and Daryl seemed to understand her unspoken request and they walked in silence. Alex heard a steady clanging in one of the cells at the end of the hall and went back to investigate while Daryl kept watch. Her knife was ready to strike as she pulled the door open and saw the woman resting inside. "Daryl?"

Daryl came to see what she wanted to show him and put his crossbow on his back. "It's Carol."

"We should see if she's hurt." Alex stopped him as he tried to pick up the weak woman. A careful inspection showed no real injuries and Alex let Daryl pick her up and take her back to the cell block.

When they got back to the cell block, Alex was surprised to see Rick holding the new baby. They stared at each other until Alex cleared her throat. "She's a beautiful baby."

"They tell me you fixed Hershel." Rick said. Alex nodded carefully. "We're all grateful."

"I just wanted to help." Alex said.

"Can—can you bring Lori back?" Rick asked, not looking at her.

"I don't bring people back. It's too hard on them, especially when they're in heaven." Alex said and Rick's head snapped up.

"How do you know that?" Rick said quickly.

"Because I put her there." Alex said. "It's a lot of effort because most of the angels are in hiding but I got in contact with one. His name is Samandriel and he made sure that Lori is at peace."

Rick nodded and started to walk outside so he and the baby could get some light. Alex stayed to help Carol clean up and rehydrate. What she didn't expect when Rick returned was for him to be carrying in a black woman and powdered formula. From what the woman said, Maggie and Glenn were taken to a place called Woodbury.

"Can we trust her?" Oscar asked.

"This is Maggie and Glenn. Why are we even debating?" Beth said.

"I'll go." Daryl volunteered.

"This place sounds pretty secure. You can't go alone." Rick countered.

"I can go." Alex said. "I can get in and out before they know I'm there."

"You need backup, just in case." Carol said from her perch on the stairs.

Rick and Daryl agreed with Carol, so they made a rescue group: Alex, Daryl, Rick, and Oscar. The woman, Michonne, would show them where Woodbury was.

"I got the flash bangs and the tear gas." Daryl said as they loaded their supplies into a small Hyundai.

"I'm taking my car." Alex said.

"Too loud. They'd hear us coming." Rick said.

"Exactly. I draw their attention from the front and you guys go in the back." Alex said.

"It's too risky." Rick stood firm on his decision and Alex finally conceded.

She wrote coordinates and directions on a map and gave it to Hershel along with her keys. "If we don't come back, take my car and go here. It's my camp. Tell Dean what happened and tell him that I had to continue the family business. He'll know what it means."

Hershel nodded and put her keys in his pocket. "Bring them back."

"I will." Alex promised.

The ride to Woodbury was cramped and awkward. They stopped a few miles from the gates and walked the rest of the way. There were several men keeping watch on the large wall that surrounded the town. Alex recognized their true faces and pulled on Rick's arm to stop him from moving forward.

"Those are demons." Alex whispered. "Normal guns and knives won't work on them."

"What will?" Rick asked in a whisper.

"I will." Alex said and blackened her eyes. She pulled the demons from the hosts and burned the black smoke to scorch marks on the pavement while the host bodies recovered from the demon removal. "They'll be confused for a few minutes. Let's move."

Castiel had shown Alex how to attune herself to people who were in need of help, how to open her mind to the frantic psychic waves to those in trouble, and she felt her mind blind sided by fear. She couldn't pinpoint the exact person it was but Alex was drawn to it, appearing in a room. It took a second for the men to realize she was there. Maggie was shirtless, hands covering her breasts, and Glenn was beat to hell. A man held a gun to Maggie's head.

"I'm done playing games. Now one of you is going to give up your camp." He said. When neither of them spoke, he moved the gun to Glenn's head. Maggie opened her mouth to speak and Alex gestured with her hand, taking her voice away. Glenn's followed.

"They won't tell you." Alex said, giving up her hiding place in the shadows. "Mainly because they can't. Not when I took their voices away. If you want answers, you can try and get them from me."

"We have ways of getting answers." The man promised. "Fear alone will get us what we need."

"I'm not afraid of you." Alex said, taking a few steps forward.

"Why is that?" The man smirked.

"Because I've faced Heaven and Hell and I'm not afraid of a cockroach." Alex said, her voice unwavering. "You'll let my friends go or I'll tell you nothing."

"You'll tell me what I want to know or I'll kill them."

"Go ahead." Alex said and snapped her fingers, turning the two extra men in the room into mice. "You hurt them and I'll take it out of your ass. You had demons guarding your gates which means you know what I am. Right now, I'm really pissed off that you took my friends and hurt them so if you feel lucky, then go ahead."

He watched her for a minute then scoffed and lowered his weapon. "I'll let one of them go until you tell me what I want to know."

"I don't leave people behind." Alex said. She grabbed his throat and pushed him against the wall, pulling her knife out. "Maggie. Glenn. Get out of here."

They walked past them and the man shoved a hidden knife into her side, causing her to groan and release her grip. He pulled the knife out of her and put it to her throat. "Change my men back."

"No." Alex grunted against his grip.

"Change them back and I won't kill you."

Alex laughed but decided to even the fight and changed them back. One had one hand and had a metal prosthesis and slammed it into her shoulder, causing it to dislocate and Alex shouted. Using the upper body hold he had to her benefit, Alex lifted her legs and kicked the one armed man back. The other one, who had a gun, fired a few rounds at her but missed anything vital and hit her arm.

Rick and Daryl had been sneaking through the town, trying to find Maggie and Glenn, when the couple ran into them. Since Alex had taken their voices, they had to show the rescue group where Alex was. They heard the scuffling of the fight from where they were concealed.

"You son of a bitch." Alex shouted at them as they held her and slid the knife down her cheek.

"I'm gonna kill that bitch!" The one armed man shouted as Alex kicked him in his testicles.

There was an explosion and gas everywhere a second later, and the men let her go. She got up and ran for the door, feeling her way down the hall, when she bumped into Rick.

"We need to go." Alex gestured to Maggie and Glenn, allowing them to speak again.

"You okay?" Rick asked, as they moved out of the building.

"Yeah. These guys don't know where to stick a knife." Alex joked, pressing a hand to her bleeding abdomen. Maggie helped Glenn run and the group ran through the town, ducking for cover in a house when they saw a patrol.

"Where's Michonne?" Alex asked when they were inside. "She was right behind us."

"She's on her own." Rick said. He looked at Alex and Glenn. "You two alright?"

"I'll be fine." They answered together.

"This was Merle." Glenn told Daryl. Alex assumed that Merle was Daryl's brother. She had heard him talk about him before. "He was gonna execute us."

"My brother's this governor?" Daryl asked.

"No. It's someone else." Maggie said, helping Glenn put a jacket on. Alex pulled off her plaid overshirt and tied it around the knife wound.

"We need to get out. Can you walk?" Rick asked, helping Glenn stand. "We have a car a few miles back."

"I'm good." Glenn said.

"Hey, if Merle's around I need to see him." Daryl said.

"Not right now. We're in hostile territory." Rick said.

"He's my brother-"

"Look at what he did." Rick interrupted Daryl. "We gotta get out of here. Now."

"Maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can work something out." Daryl said, almost begging.

"No matter what those two say, they're hurt. What do we do if we get overrun by Walkers or if this governor catches up to us?" Rick said, his voice low. "I need you. Are you with me?"

Daryl hesitated before answering. "Yeah."

He grabbed another flashbang from the duffel bag they had brought and tossed it out the door, the group moving with the smoke. Guards from Woodbury opened fire on them and as they made their escape, Rick, Daryl, Maggie, and Alex fired back.

"You guys go. I'll lay down some cover fire." Daryl said, reloading his gun.

"I'll help." Alex said. The look she gave him left no room for arguing. She grabbed Glenn's gun from him. She fired at the guards and when the rest of the group was safe, Daryl pushed her toward the fence.

"Go. I'll cover you." He fired again as she ran. When she looked back to see if he was following her, Alex saw Daryl being dragged off. Alex knew she'd need backup but these people were lunatics, even by hunter standards, and she snuck after him. The smoke cleared and she saw Daryl being shoved into an apartment. The guards stood outside of the building and Alex found the backway in, knocking the one guard out. Daryl had a bag on his head and Alex pulled it off, blinking away the dizziness that threatened with the blood loss.

"I told you to run." Daryl said as she untied his ropes.

"I don't leave people behind." Alex said as she fainted.

**A/N: Thank you for the people who have followed and favorited my story. Thank you to **Dalonega Noquisi **for reviewing. It's always appreciated. Feel free to leave a review on your way out, my dear readers. It's always a lovely surprise when I get those emails. I love all of you! xo**


	4. Chapter 4

When Alex came to, she had a bag on her head and her dislocated shoulder was screaming at her.

"He won't be happy when he sees her." She heard a voice say.

"She attacked us. What does he want us to do? Let her kill us?" Another voice replied. "Get them up and take them to the pits."

She heard Daryl grunt as he was yanked up and she was pulled to a standing position by her bad shoulder, causing her to yelp. Alex was shoved forward and she did her best to not trip over her feet but she was still a little dizzy. She could smell fire and hear people talking and shouting when she was stopped.

"What have you done to her?" Alex felt her blood go cold. She knew that voice. Lucifer was here. "I told you not to harm her."

"She's dangerous. She attacked me and my men." The Governor countered.

"You took Glenn and Maggie!" Alex shouted, struggling against the ropes tying her hands behind her back. The pain made her wince and the bag was pulled off her head, Daryl's was as well, and her eyes took a minute to adjust.

Lucifer stroked her face with his thumb and Alex pulled her face away from his touch. "I've been looking for you for a long time, Lexi mine."

"I'm never yours." Alex hissed.

"No, but you're Sam's. Did you know that right now he's begging to feel you beneath his skin?" Lucifer pressed kisses along her jaw. He lowered his voice so only she and Daryl could hear him. "He wants to kiss you here. And here. He wants to feel you writhe beneath him and he wants to hear you scream his name as he pleases you."

Alex clenched her teeth as Lucifer kissed her neck. She released the breath she was holding when he untied her hands and she let them hang at her sides.

"Would you like me to heal you, Lexi mine?" Lucifer asked, placing his fingers on her forehead.

"Don't touch me." Alex spit, moving from him.

"I only want to help you, sweetheart." Lucifer promised. "I don't want you to hurt at all. Just tell me what you want."

"You're negotiating with these terrorists?" The Governor scoffed.

"This _terrorist _happens to be under my protection. I should take what you've done to her out of your ass." Lucifer stalked toward the Governor.

"I want Sam." Alex said loudly, drawing Lucifer's attention back to her. "I want the world back."

Lucifer held his hand out for Alex to take and she heard Daryl warning her not to touch him. She was desperate to feel Sam's touch again, even if it wasn't really Sam. But when Lucifer blinked, it was Sam staring back at her. "Lex! What happened to you?" 

"Sam?" Alex said softly, ignoring the noise around her. He kissed her roughly, pulling her closer, her blood staining Lucifer's white suit.

"What happened to you?" Sam pulled away too soon and examined her wounds.

"Family business." Alex smiled in spite of the pain.

"You need to get this taken care of." Sam looked at her stab wound. He could feel Lucifer pulling his way forward and he struggled to speak. "I love you."

"I love you too, Sammy." Alex kissed him again but in the middle of it, Lucifer was the one kissing her back.

"I can be reasonable." Lucifer said softly. "I'll give you whatever you want if you come with me. I'll let you spend time with Sammy, I'll give you back your sister and mother too. I want you to be happy."

Alex shook her head slowly and backed away from him, moving to stand with Daryl. "I'll never come with you."

"You'd rather die with these murderous, flawed...maggots?" Lucifer asked. "I can treat you like the queen you are."

"Who you callin' a maggot?" Daryl shouted, trying to get his hands free.

"I'd rather die a maggot than live as your queen." Alex said.

"Governor, I apologize for interfering with your festivities. Please continue." Lucifer said. "Alex is not to be harmed but do what you will with the other one."

"These terrorists snuck in with the help of one of our own." The Governor said, talking to his people. He pointed to the one armed man. "Merle here allowed his brother and his companions to get in and kill our people. He said his loyalty was to us. Let's let him prove it!"

The crowd started to shout with cries of "kill him!" but Lucifer stood at the edge of the stands with his hands folded in front of him. The Governor shoved Alex to stand next to Lucifer and the devil put his body slightly ahead of hers to protect her.

"A fight to the death!" The Governor shouted. "Let Merle prove his loyalty to us! Prove it to us all."

"Daryl!" Alex shouted. She was weak from blood loss but she knew that she had to get them out of this. "Lucifer, please. Let us go."

"It's not up to me, Lexi mine."

When Merle punched Daryl, it was with his prosthesis and it knocked the wind out of the younger brother. Alex gathered the last bit of her strength and ran to cover Daryl, arms up to protect herself.

"What are you gonna do girlie?" Merle taunted.

"I've turned you into a mouse once, do you wanna go for twice?" Alex ducked under his fist and helped Daryl up. Merle swung again and Alex pushed him back with a gesture. Lucifer chuckled as the crowd went quiet. "We need to get out of here, Daryl."

"I ain't leaving without my brother." Daryl said even though his brother just kicked the crap out of him.

"Really?" Alex groaned. "Fine."

"You need little miss bitch to fight for you, lil brother?" Merle taunted with a smirk.

Daryl gritted his teeth and swung at Merle, the blow landing on his jaw. "Ain't nobody fights for me."

Guards brought Crotes into the ring and surrounded the brothers. Alex was shoved out of harm's way by Daryl, who stood back to back with his brother and started throwing punches at the undead. They took out two of them when they heard shots being fired and the Crotes fell to the ground. A cloud of smoke rose from the middle of the arena and Daryl grabbed Alex's arm, pulling her up. She ran with the brothers, stealing her demon knife back from one of the guards who stole it from her. Daryl did the same, retrieving his crossbow from its unrightful owner.

"Daryl!" Rick's voice called. "Alex! Come on!"

They ran toward Rick's voice and found him and they ran for the gate.

"You're not going anywhere with us!" Rick shouted at Merle.

"You really wanna do this now?" Merle shouted back, kicking in one of the metal sides to the gate. The group managed to get through it and ran through the dark streets until they got back to the car. Glenn was less than overjoyed to see Merle and aimed his gun at the elder Dixon.

"He tried to kill me!" Michonne screamed as Rick told her to drop her weapon.

"Your little girlfriend has been snug as a bug with the Governor." Merle said. "We picked these two out of the woods. Andrea was close to dying and my Nubian queen had two pet Walkers. What you gonna do now, Sheriff? You're surrounded by a bunch of thugs, liars, and thieves. This is pathetic. All these guns and not a bullet in them."

"Shut up, Merle." Daryl said gruffly.

"Man, this a bunch of pussies you're rollin-" Merle didn't get to finish his sentence because Rick smacked the back of his head with the butt of his gun.

"Asshole." Rick said.

"Can somebody help me put my shoulder back?" Alex asked. Rick stepped forward to help her as she braced herself on a tree. He popped it back into place easily and Alex groaned but worked the muscle out.

"We need to get you back to Hershel." Rick said, pointing to the bullet wound in her arm and the stab wound in her stomach.

"I can patch this up." Alex said, tightening her over shirt around her stomach. "I've had worse."

"We can't bring him home with us." Glenn said, referring to Merle. "Not without putting everybody at each other's throats."

"He's family. He's blood." Daryl said. "He knows how the Governor thinks and we could use the muscle."

"We don't have time to talk about this right now." Maggie said, pulling up Alex's shirt. The bleeding had slowed but Alex was getting paler by the second. "We need to stitch her up."

"Bring Merle with us." Alex said. "We can lock him up and if he tries anything, we can handle it then."

Daryl nodded his thanks to Alex and Rick agreed but covered Merle's eyes as they drove so he couldn't see where they were going. On the way in, Alex grabbed her first aid kit and went to her cell, barely acknowledging the newcomers that were outside the cell block. She had peeled off her bloody shirts and wiped the area clean. She threaded the needle and started to stitch herself up when Hershel walked by.

"I can help with that." He offered, putting down some clean towels.

"Thanks." Alex said, laying flat on the bed so Hershel could sew her up right.

"What did you do before all this?" Hershel asked as he stitched.

"I was a hunter. Vampires, demons, werewolves, that kind of thing." Alex stared at the top bunk.

"You must've done something before that. You weren't raised in that life." Hershel said.

"I was a dancer. I went to Princeton and my mom was rich." Alex glanced at the wound. Hershel was almost done.

"Sounds like a good life. How'd you start hunting?"

"My sister had her heart ripped out by a werewolf." Alex said. Hershel was finished stitching now.

"I'm sorry for your loss." He said and Alex could tell that he meant it.

"Thanks. I killed him, if it makes you feel better." Alex showed him a scar on her arm. "He scratched me there."

Alex sat up and remembered she had left her clean shirts in the car. She pulled on the dirty one and thanked Hershel for his help before going out to the Impala.

"Hey Baby." Even though she had renamed the Impala, she found herself alternating between Baby and Moose. She grabbed her duffel bag from the backseat and removed her dirty shirt, quickly tugging on a clean one. Alex opened the compartment in the trunk and found the spray paint she needed, shoving it in her bag.

"Alex, can I talk to you?" Rick asked, approaching her.

"Yeah." Alex squinted against the sun and Rick motioned for her to walk with him. "Is there some kind of trouble?"

"No. I...just wanted to thank you for your help with Glenn and Maggie." Rick said.

"Not a problem. I'm glad I could help." Alex adjusted her bag on her shoulder and waited for him to continue.

"What are you doing with the spray paint?" Rick asked. "I saw it when I was walking over."

"It's to paint angel warding and devil's traps around the prison. Lucifer knows that I'm in the area so I want you guys to be safe before I leave." Alex said.

"You're leaving?" Rick questioned.

"Yeah. You guys aren't safe with me here. I'll take the angel blade and put up the warding but then I'm leaving." Alex paused outside the door before going inside.

"Well, you haven't been here long but there's a few who are really gonna miss havin' you here." Rick said. "Have you told them you're leaving?"

"No. I didn't really plan to." Alex said. "I'm going to go put up this warding so if you need me, I'll be in the lower levels."

Rick nodded and handed her a flashlight. She took it and slipped one earbud in her ear so she could listen to her music while she did it. It was a pain to keep it charged but she thought it was worth it. She shook the paint and started spraying the sigil on the wall, pausing every few minutes to look for Crotes. She was still taken by surprise when Glenn came to find her, mostly because she was dancing to the music in her headphones as she painted.

"Holy crap, Glenn!" Alex ripped the earbud from her ear when he tapped her on the shoulder.

"Sorry." Glenn said. "Rick told me where you were and I wanted to say thanks."

"Not a problem." Alex said with a smile.

"Do you need any help?" Glenn gestured to the sigil that was half painted.

"Not really. They have to be exact or they don't work right." Alex explained.

"Show me. I'm pretty good at following directions." Glenn said.

Alex sighed in defeat, knowing he wasn't going anywhere, and finished the sigil. She explained where they needed to go and they parted ways, agreeing to meet back at the cell block in twenty minutes. Glenn beat her back to the cell block and gave her back the spray paint. Alex put her bag in her cell and went to find the angel blade. She found it in Rick's cell and took it back to her own. If she was going to leave, she'd have to do it after Hershel was asleep because he'd try to talk her out of going.

"Don't you think you should slow down? Just a little?" Castiel asked Dean as he kept the gas pedal pressed to the floor. "No? Okay."

"She could be in trouble, Cas." Dean growled.

"Or not. She's a grown girl. She can take care of herself." Castiel said, putting some pills in his mouth. He was running low and made a mental note to raid a pharmacy soon.

"Do you know the last time she slept? Because I don't." Dean said. "Ever since Sam said yes she's not the same."

"That was three years ago, Dean. She's adjusted." Castiel argued.

"Running off on her own? That's what you call adjusted?" Dean almost shouted. He'd been driving for two days and according to the map, he was almost there.

"You sure this isn't about something else?" Castiel watched his best friend carefully. "Maybe about the affection you haven't been able to hide."

"Shut your pie hole, Cas." Dean growled. He stopped the car as he approached a prison with a large fence. There were several Crotes coming toward the Jeep but Dean and Castiel took them out easily as a group came out of the prison. Alex heard the gunfire and when she saw the Jeep, she recognized it quickly.

"That's Dean." Alex pushed past Rick when he opened the gate and ran down to the other gate. "Come on, Rick!"

Rick tossed her the keys and she unlocked the second gate. Castiel grabbed her in a huge hug, causing her to wince when he squeezed her stomach but she didn't let on. Dean noticed though and when Castiel put her down, Dean lifted up her shirt and saw the stitches.

"Who the hell did this to you?" Dean pulled his gun toward Rick and Daryl. "Did they?"

"No. These guys are friends." Alex lowered Dean's arm and he put his gun away. "This is Rick and that's Daryl."

The men nodded to each other and Dean hugged Alex carefully before yelling at her. "Next time you punch me and take off, I'll chain you to your bed."

"We did that in last week's orgy." Castiel said, causing Alex to snort. She sobered up at Dean's glare.

"He's here, Dean." Alex said and Dean knew who she meant. "I found the angel blade though so we have a chance."

"I told you that I would go after the Colt." Dean said. "We would find a different way than you runnin' off on your own."

"I'm not a child." Alex said angrily. "I'm not as fragile as you think I am. I can handle myself."

"Obviously you can't!" Dean shouted, gesturing to her stomach.

"That could have happened with you there." Daryl said, his crossbow raised. He had raised it when Dean started shouting. "She got that savin' two of our own."

"Get that out of my face." Dean growled at Daryl.

"I think everybody could use a drink here." Castiel suggested, holding up his hands. "Have you got any absinthe?"

"Sorry, Cas. They don't have any alcohol." Alex said. She stood between Dean and Daryl. "Why doesn't everybody calm down and we can talk like normal people. Please Daryl?"

Daryl lowered his bow but was ready, just in case. Dean glared at Rick and Daryl until Alex got his attention.

"He knows I'm here, Dean." Alex said. "I'm taking the angel blade and I'm leaving tonight. But I'm not going back to the camp. I'm going to be alone."

"Like hell you are!" Dean said.

"You don't get to make this choice for me." Alex held his gaze. "Nobody does except me."

"Were you ever gonna tell me this?" Dean growled. "What about Bobby? Or Cas? I've lost too many people to lose you too."

"If I go against Lucifer I am going to die!" Alex screamed. "If I can't kill him, he'll kill me!"

"I'm not going to let that happen." Dean promised, his voice soft.

"You need to go back, Dean." Alex said.

"I will as soon as you get your gear." Dean said.

"I'm not going with you." Alex started walking back to the prison. "Take him back, Cas."

"Alex!" Dean shouted, starting to go after her but Rick and Daryl stepped in his way. "Alexandria!"

Alex walked past everybody and got her bag, the angel blade, and her jacket, then escaped to her car. Castiel must have convinced Dean to leave because the Jeep was gone.

"You're gonna leave?" Daryl asked, a bit angrily. "Without sayin' nothin'?"

"Didn't think it would matter." Alex answered honestly. "I've been here a week but I don't mean anything to you guys."

"I think Hershel would think different." Daryl said.

"You don't understand what I have to do, Daryl." Alex huffed. "There's no way I come out of this alive or wanting to live. Lucifer knows I'm here which means you all will be under attack soon enough. I'm not letting this group die for me."

"I saw everythin' in that arena." Daryl said. "Heard everythin'. Sam ain't dead, is he?"

Alex shook her head without looking at him.

"You gotta kill him, don't ya?" Daryl asked and watched her head slowly nod up and down.

"Dean and Cas mean well. They're my family and I need to keep them safe." Alex fingered her locket. "I've put your group in enough danger already."

"Somethin' just don't feel right 'bout lettin' ya go out on your own." Daryl said, leaning against the Impala. "Least talk to the rest of the group about it."

"This sounds strangely like an ultimatum." Alex said. Daryl's tone had suggested an 'either or' type of deal.

"Talk to the group or I'm gonna have to go with ya." Daryl said. "You helped save my ass and Merle's too. I owe ya that much."

"I'll sneak out." Alex countered.

"I'm a tracker." Daryl replied.

Alex held his gaze for a few seconds before sighing in defeat. She locked the angel blade in the trunk and went inside with Daryl in time to see Rick point his gun at nothing. The strangers that had been in the cell block grabbed their stuff and ran out of the prison. Rick was screaming at something only he could see. Alex managed to get close enough to him and touched his head, causing him to fall asleep. Daryl helped her get Rick to his cell.

"I guess I'm staying for a little bit longer." Alex said.

**A/N: Thank you Dalonega Noquisi for your review. I always felt bad for Hershel as he hobbled around on those crutches! **

**To everybody else, feel free to leave a review on your way out. They're always appreciated. xo**


	5. Chapter 5

Alex's shoulder was still sore and it was hard to braid her hair so she left it down. It was the middle of the night and she couldn't sleep. She heard the baby, which had been named Judith, cry and since she was awake, she went to go take care of her. Beth had a bottle and was getting ready to pick up Judith.

"I've got her." Alex told the blonde. "You go get some sleep."

Beth nodded and handed Alex the bottle. Alex picked up the baby and cooed at her as she fed the small child. Judith sucked the formula down eagerly and was fussy when she finished. Alex carried her up to her cell, careful to step over Daryl and not wake him. She walked back and forth in her cell as she sang _Hey Jude_ to the baby. Judith gurgled happily before she started to snore and Alex put her back in her crib. Still unable to sleep, Alex sliced her hand open and started drawing angel banishing sigils around the cell block, just in case.

She tied a bandage around her hand when she was finished. With the moon still out, the rest of the group was asleep so she took the keys from bandana tied around Daryl's pants and went outside, careful not to wake the others. She sat on Baby's hood and wished she had a beer as she stared at the sky. The growling of the Crotes was easy to drown out. The cool metal of the car and glass of the windshield reminded her of the hunts she and the Winchesters used to go on. It reminded her of when Sam told her he loved her. Lying under the stars, she fell asleep and that night she dreamt of Sam.

"_Lex, come on." Sam laughed. "There's no way you can hit that." _

"_Wanna bet, Winchester?" Alex taunted, aiming her knife at the target several hundred yards away. "Even you could hit that target." _

_She threw her knife and hit the target easily, laughing gleefully. "I told you!" _

_Sam was laughing with her as he kissed her and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They didn't get a lot of alone time since they were traveling with Dean so they took advantage of it when they got it. Sam pulled away but kept his arms around her waist. "You wanna move somewhere more private?"_

"_I'm surprised you had to ask." Alex giggled and kissed him roughly before releasing him and running to their motel room. They discarded their clothes quickly and when Sam spoke again, it wasn't Sam speaking. _

"_What would you like, Lexi mine?" _

Alex gasped and jerked her body upright on the hood of the car. The sun was up and the light caused her to shield her eyes until they adjusted. She pushed her long hair out of her face and slid off the car, walking inside. Daryl held his hand out for his keys and Alex handed them over. She shrugged apologetically. "Couldn't sleep."

"I know." Daryl said. "I heard ya with the baby."

"Sorry." Alex said and Daryl shrugged. "How's Rick today?"

"Not waving his gun at people who aren't there." Glenn said.

"If we keep an eye on him, we could probably let him out of his cell." Alex said. Everybody was present...except for Maggie. "Where's Maggie?"

"She's still in bed." Glenn said. His answer was stiff and Alex took some of the oatmeal Beth had made to Maggie.

The brunette was staring at the wall on her bed.

"I brought you some breakfast." Alex said, placing it on the top bunk.

"Thanks." Maggie was barely audible.

"Do you mind helping me with a run later?" Alex asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Can't Daryl go with you?" Maggie didn't turn around.

"Not really. It's girl stuff." Alex said. "Beth could come with us too."

"Beth doesn't usually go on runs." Maggie stood up.

"We could make it a girl's day out." Alex said.

"Did Glenn put you up to this?" Maggie asked.

"Nope. Just thought we could all use some retail therapy." Alex shrugged. "My mom used to take me and my sister out shopping when we had a bad day. I feel like this qualifies."

"There's a mall a few miles down the road but it's probably overrun by Walkers." Maggie seemed to perk up a little.

"Then we'll take them out. I could use some practice." Alex and Maggie left her cell and went to find Beth. "The Crotes here are different than where my camp is."

"What are they like where you're from?"

"They're fast. And the infection spreads through blood, not bites."

"Beth." Maggie called her sister. "You wanna go on a run with us?"

Beth looked at her father and Carl then back to Alex and Maggie. "Me?"

"Yeah. You'll be fine." Alex promised.

"Shouldn't we ask Rick or Daryl?" Beth looked for the leaders but they weren't around.

"It's a girl thing." Alex said. Hershel nodded his approval and Beth agreed after a few seconds. The girls got their jackets and knives and went to the Impala. Carl came with them to unlock the gate and Alex plugged her iPod into her car. She handed it to Maggie and told her to pick some music then turned it up loudly to draw the Walkers away from the prison as she floored the gas, laughing. It had been a while since she had really given Baby any room to run and she took advantage of it now, speeding down the highway. Beth and Maggie were a little frightened at first but they started to enjoy it.

"What's Glee?" Beth asked, looking through her music.

"Izzie's favorite show. They do a lot of cover songs and she put all of their music on my iPod. I didn't want to get rid of it after she died." Alex checked her mirror as she pulled up to the mall. She checked the parking lot for Crotes before they exited the vehicle and Alex opened the compartment in the trunk so she could give the girls a machete, just in case. Alex picked the lock on the front door and checked with Maggie and Beth, making sure they were ready. They made their way through the first store carefully and it was empty. She couldn't be sure, but Alex had a feeling Lucifer knew she would come here so he cleared it for her.

"We need to be careful but let's go." Alex smiled encouragingly. By the end of their shopping trip, Maggie was in a much better mood and all three of them had new clothes and boots for everyone at the prison.

"It's dark. Shouldn't we go back?" Beth asked, as they carried their bags.

"Yeah. Rick's probably worried, though he'll get over it when he sees the clothes we got for Judith." Alex said. She stopped when she saw the men leaning on the Impala. "Hey! Get off the car."

They pushed themselves off the car. "Got a message for you."

Alex waited for him to continue but he was quiet for a few minutes. "Go ahead princess."

"Watch your tone." The leader warned. His eyes flashed black before returning to normal.

"You should watch where you step." Alex grinned, glancing at the ground. She had used glow in the dark paint to paint a devil's trap before she went in so the three demons were trapped. "What's your message?"

The demon growled but reached into his pocket and gave her a small white box. Alex opened it and dumped a large strawberry into her hand.

"Lucifer hopes you enjoyed your day."

Alex smirked at the strawberry before she crushed it in her palm. She stared at the demon as she spoke. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis"

"You bitch." The demon said angrily.

Alex continued while Maggie and Beth stared at the demons. "Adversarii, omnis legio, et secta diabolica,Ergo draco maledicte et sectio Ergo draco maledicte et legio secta diabolica  
Ut Ecclésiam tuam secúra tibi fácias servire libertáte, te rogámus, audi nos"

When the black smoke poured out of the men's mouths, Alex gestured for the girls to get in the car and they went back to the prison.

"What was that?" Beth asked, looking back at the men in the distance.

"Those were demons and I exorcised them." Alex said.

"Are there a lot of demons?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah."

"Teach me how to do that." Maggie said.

"How to what? Exorcise demons?" Alex clarified.

"Yeah. If there's a lot around, we need to know how to stop them." Maggie was eager to learn.

"I'll think about it." Alex pulled up to the gate and Carl was waiting for them, opening the gate and they drove up.

"Where the hell you been?" Rick asked as soon as they walked in.

"We went on a run." Alex said carefully.

"Why didn't you take one of us?" Rick gestured to himself, Glenn, and Daryl.

"Because I didn't." Alex said. "Maggie needed some time away from here and we all needed some clothes and boots so we got them. We got some clothes for Judith too."

She handed him the bag and Rick couldn't help the smile when he saw the small pink cowgirl boots they picked up for Judith. He cleared his throat. "You still should have taken one of us."

"I will next time." Alex said. They handed out their gifts to everybody. Carl got comic books, Hershel got a new Bible, Carol received a necklace that had Sophia's name on it. Beth had picked out a brass star belt buckle for Rick and Alex had saved Daryl's gift for last. He was leaning against his brother's cell, talking to Merle, when Alex came over and gave him the hunting knife.

"Thanks." Daryl said.

"Don't I get nothin'?" Merle asked.

"You're still human aren't you?" Alex said and turned to leave. She had to drop off her new stuff then go check the devil's traps. She told Rick where she was going then tucked the demon knife into her boot and went to the lower levels. She was singing to herself as she walked when she heard something coming up behind her. She pulled the knife out of her boot and spun around, pinning her follower to the wall with the knife ready to strike.

"Easy sweetheart." Merle said with his hands in the air.

"What do you want?" Alex released him but left the knife in her hand.

"Sheriff Rick said you were comin' down here. Just wanted to see if you needed a hand." Merle chuckled at his own joke.

"I don't need your help but thanks." Alex said.

"Come on now. Don't treat ol' Merle like that." Merle pouted. "Just tryin' to keep ya from bein' a damsel in distress."

"Fine. But stay out of my way." Alex turned and walked away. "Hey Merle."

"Yeah?" Merle said, following behind her.

"Stop staring at my ass." Alex heard Merle chuckle.

The devil's traps were empty. Alex had expected them to be but it was better to be safe than sorry. There were a few Crotes wandering but they easily took them out. The angel warding was still up and Glenn had done a good job on his.

"What's with the doodles?" Merle asked, pointing to the warding.

"You worked for the Governor and Lucifer and don't know what those are?" Alex was watching for Crotes as she spoke. "Some henchman you are."

"I don't know nothin' bout no Lucifer, darlin'." Merle said.

"It keeps angels out." Alex said. "Which is what we want to do."

"You runnin' from somethin'?"

"That's none of your business." Alex snapped.

"Damn girl. Just tryin' to make conversation." Merle said. "You're awful tense for such a pretty girl."

"Redneck asshats do that to me."

"I bet I know exactly what they do to ya."

Alex didn't like his flirtatious tone but chose to ignore it. They finished their round and Alex left Merle with the others because it was her turn for watch. She climbed the stairs to the guard tower and stared at the darkness.

"I brought you some dinner." Beth said, handing Alex a plate. Alex smiled her thanks but put the plate down. "I had fun today. I almost forgot what fun was."

"You need to get out more." Alex teased and Beth giggled.

"Daddy said you used to be a dancer."

"Yep. That was before Izzie died though." Alex said with a sigh, glancing at the full moon.

"What was she like?" Beth was the first one to not ask how she died.

"She was so happy all the time. Izzie loved to watch me dance and I taught her how to dance. She loved corny jokes." Alex chuckled to herself.

"Like what?"

"Like two men walked into a bar...the third one ducked." Beth and Alex laughed together.

"Do you miss her?"

"A lot. If I knew then what I know now, I could have saved her." Alex said. "I'm glad she didn't have to go through this though."

"Were you alone?" Beth asked. "Before you came here?"

"No. I had a camp. My family is gone but these were hunters, like me, that were basically my family."

Hershel called for Beth from the courtyard and she smiled before she left. Alex made a mental note to cut her hair later because in the humidity, it stuck to her neck. She picked up the plate that Beth had brought her. Daryl must have shot a deer because there was some venison on her plate and she picked at the meat. With it so quiet, Alex was glad to have John Winchester's journal to read, even though she had it memorized. Shining her flashlight on the pages, she flipped through it.

"Ya shouldn't let that meat go to waste." Daryl's voice startled her.

"What are you doing up here?" Alex asked.

"Pickin' daisies." Daryl said, bow in hand.

"Ha ha." Alex said sarcastically. "You don't need the bow. You could kill the Crotes with your wit."

Daryl chuckled once as he scanned the trees for danger. Alex turned back to the journal and read the section Sam had added on angels. Of course there was nothing new because they didn't know anything new. She closed the journal with more venom than she intended.

"Did ya really turn Merle into a rat?"

"It was actually a mouse, but yes." Alex said.

"What's that?" Daryl nodded toward the journal.

"It's a hunter's journal. I thought maybe I would find something new but of course not. It hasn't been updated in a while. Not since Sam last did it. I keep thinking there's something I missed but there isn't. I should have left with Dean and gone and finished this. You guys probably could have a normal life again."

Daryl grunted. "Ain't never had normal."

Alex was going to answer when she heard a howl from the trees. She squinted in the dark and saw a human shape moving faster than it should have. And it was jumping against the fences.

"Here's my normal." Alex threw open the door and ran down the stairs to the grass, trying to get to the Impala before the werewolf could get through the fence. With a wolf having killed Izzie, Alex made it a point to recognize them from a distance.

"The hell is that thing?" Daryl had followed her and had his bow aimed at it.

"Werewolf. Your crossbow won't work on it." She rummaged through the trunk and handed him a silver knife. "If it gets close to you, stab it in the heart."

Daryl nodded and they ran down to the fence where the wolf was trying to climb. By the time they got there, the wolf had gotten over the fence and was running toward them. It tackled Daryl and he slashed at the wolf's body while trying to keep it's jaws from closing on his throat. He managed to shove it off him and stood, ready to strike. When the wolf shook off the assault and ran for Daryl again, Alex threw her knife and it landed in the wolf's heart. It stopped and fell to the ground. Alex stared at the wolf's corpse before realizing that Daryl may have been bit.

"Did it bite you?" Alex asked, shining her flashlight on his arms and neck. He was clean of bites but it did manage to scratch him pretty good on his cheek. "That's gonna need stitches."

"Nah, I'm good."

"Right. Big badass Daryl doesn't need stitches." Alex rolled her eyes and pulled her knife out of the wolf, wiping the blood on her jeans. She took Daryl's knife and put them back in the trunk. She grabbed her first aid kit and a bottle of water. Alex stood close so she could see what she was doing while she dabbed at the blood on his face.

"Where'd it come from?" Daryl nodded toward the wolf.

"When a mommy wolf and daddy wolf love each other very much..." Alex laughed at Daryl's look as she moved put the first aid kit back in the trunk. "Wolves are made when they're bitten by another werewolf. I don't know how it survived this long. They need hearts to live."

"We gotta get rid of the body." Daryl said.

"We could throw it in the woods. Let the Crotes take care of it." Alex suggested. Daryl nodded and Alex made noise so Daryl could get the body through the fence. Once he had, Alex slipped through the fence and helped him move the body. The Crotes were occupied with the fresh meat, allowing the pair to get back through the fence and to safety.

"I don't think we should tell the others about this." Alex said and Daryl nodded. She sat on the trunk of the Impala. "All we need now is a beer."

"What for?"

"Me, Sam, and Dean would always have a beer after a hunt." Alex shrugged. "Felt like we earned it."

"Hm." Daryl said as he leaned against the trunk and stared at the tree line.

"Sam would've liked you." Alex said then they finished their watch in silence.

**A/N: Thank you to those of you who have been reading, following, and adding this story to your favorites. Dalonega Noquisi, as always, I thank you for your feedback and your advice. To anybody who reads this story, feel free to leave a review. I'm always open to feedback. xo**


	6. Chapter 6

"She's not gonna like it." Castiel warned.

"Doesn't matter." Dean said. "I'm going after the Colt and I need backup."

"I get that. But she's gonna be angry."

"After we get the Colt, she can go back to playing vacation." Dean said.

"When are you going to admit that you care about her?" Castiel asked. He was sober and not overly fond of that fact.

"Of course I care about her. She's one of us." Dean said.

"You know what I mean."

"She chose Sam, Cas."

"Still think you should tell her."

Dean hadn't left after he saw Alex. He and Castiel had made camp a few miles from the prison and kept an eye on her. She was outside helping a kid kill Crotes on the fence when she saw them. The kid handed her some keys and she opened the gate, letting them in.

"Can I talk to you, Lex?" Dean asked, glancing at the kid. "Alone?"

"Carl, keep at the fence." Alex said and Carl walked away. "I thought you left." 

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." Dean said. "I need your help getting the Colt."

"You have Yager, Cas, Risa." Alex said, a bit angrily. She started to walk away. "Have them back you up."

"Look, I get that you're pissed at me, whatever." Dean grabbed her arm to stop her. "But I need you. There was a time when that would have been enough."

Alex sighed and yanked her arm away. "The Colt won't kill him."

"I'll take my chances." Dean said, holding her gaze. "Please, Lex. Sam would want you to help me."

"That's not fair!" Alex shouted. "Don't you dare try that."

"You know it's true." Dean raised his voice but didn't shout.

"Sam said yes, Dean. He doesn't want to die." Alex said. "You weren't there when he said yes. We went to fight the Devil and when we got there, Sam asked me if I would follow him anywhere. He knew I would because I love him. After he said yes to Lucifer and it was the _Devil_ staring at me from Sam's eyes, I couldn't follow through with it. I left and found you. I abandoned him and he still asks Lucifer for me. What Sam wants is for me to be with him."

"Then did you come out here for the angel blade, huh?" Dean said angrily.

"Because what choice do we have? Lucifer has killed billions of people with the virus. It shouldn't make a difference to me that he's wearing Sam and if I was a better hunter, he'd be dead already. But I can't kill Sam." Alex's voice cracked and a tear slipped down her cheek. "I can't kill the damn devil even though he's killed billions of people."

Dean stared at Alex, shocked by her words. He cleared his throat. "Just help me get the Colt and I'll handle Lucifer, okay? Just keep me alive until I get the Colt."

Alex glanced at Castiel who smiled at her then back to Dean. "I need to get my stuff."

"We'll wait." Dean said.

"Is everything okay?" Carl asked as Alex walked past him, wiping the tear trails from her cheeks.

"Yeah. I'm gonna send somebody else out here to help you finish with them." Alex took deep breaths to clear her thoughts. "If you need help, Dean can give you a hand."

Alex pulled Hershel aside while she got her stuff. "I'm going on a run. I'll be gone for a few days."

"What are you going after?" Hershel asked.

"Dean needs backup on a run." At Hershel's confused look, she elaborated. "Dean is from my camp. He's going after a weapon and needs backup."

"Why are you telling me this? Why not Rick or Daryl?"

"Because they'd want to go with me and it's too dangerous. The Crotes where we are...they're faster and more deadly. It'd be a suicide mission for them." Alex shoved her jacket in her bag. "I'll be back in a few days."

Alex pulled her bag on her shoulder and walked out to the Impala, opening the trunk and digging through it, shoving weapons and the blade in her bag. She had hoped that she would be lucky enough to get out before Rick or Daryl caught her but that wasn't the case.

"Goin' somewhere?" Rick asked, watching Dean and Castiel at the gate.

"Just a run." Alex said nonchalantly. "I'll be back in a few days."

"I don't like you goin' on your own." Rick said.

"I'll be with Dean and Cas. I'll be safe." Alex promised. "This is hunter stuff. This is my job."

"Maybe before." Daryl said. "Ain't your job now."

"Yes, it is. It doesn't matter if it's the end of the world, there is no getting out of hunting."

"Then one of us is going with you." Rick said.

"No way. Merle said the Governor will retaliate for what we did to Woodbury. You need to be here if that happens." Alex said.

"I'll go." Daryl volunteered.

"And leave Merle and Glenn alone?" Alex scoffed.

"You're one of us." Rick said.

"I'm also one of them." Alex said. "They're my family and they need me."

"Could take Merle with us." Daryl said. "Prolly could use the extra help."

"I don't think Dean is gonna go for that." Alex said. "The Crotes are a thousand times more deadly where we are. I don't want any of you to die."

"Don't plan on it." Daryl said, going to get his brother. Alex sighed and went to tell Dean what was going on.

When Merle had seen the scratches on Daryl's face, he started with a long list of sexual innuendos.

"I thought I heard howlin' out there last night." Merle said. "You make that demon girl your sex kitten? Did she purr for ya?"

"Shut up, Merle." Daryl said. "It ain't like that between me and her. We're goin' on a run."

"Where to baby brother?" Merle grabbed a gun as they walked outside. Alex was leaning against the Impala, waiting for the Dixons.

"Scratch the interior and it's your ass." Alex warned Merle, gesturing to the knife attached to his prosthesis. She started the car as Daryl slid in the passenger seat and Merle in the back. They drove mostly in silence, following Dean as he drove ahead in the Jeep.

"Want me to drive?" Daryl asked after Alex had driven through the night.

"No." Alex said. Merle snored loudly in the backseat. Her answer had sounded harsher than she intended. "I'm good."

"Ya should sleep." Daryl said. He had noticed that she barely slept at the prison.

Alex knew he was right. She wouldn't be any good to Dean if she was tired so she pulled over and switched spots with Daryl. Once in the driver's seat, Daryl caught up to Dean easily and Alex laid her head against the passenger door, falling asleep quickly.

Merle woke up shortly after Alex fell asleep. "Kitten let you drive, huh?"

"Shut up." Daryl said and Merle chuckled.

Alex had nightmares the few hours she managed to sleep and woke up gasping, trying to catch her breath. Daryl cast a sideways glance at her but didn't ask.

"Where are we?" Alex asked, sitting up straight in her seat.

"South Dakota." Merle offered.

Alex looked around, eyeing the familiar scenery. Dean led them back to Camp Chitaqua so they could get some extra ammo. Alex pointed so Daryl would know where to park the Impala and she got out, catching her keys when Daryl tossed them to her. "My cabin is over here. Stay close because Dean doesn't trust you."

Alex opened the door to her cabin and tossed her bag on the bed, sheathing her knives and holstering her guns to her jeans and boots. "Do not lose focus for one second. These Crotes will infect you before you blink and then they'll kill you."

"We've killed Walkers before, honey." Merle said.

"These aren't Walkers." Alex said simply.

"You ready?" Dean called and the trio joined him.

"Is Cas coming?" Alex asked.

"Not this time." Dean said.

Alex climbed into the back of the Jeep and took the rifle that Dean handed her. She would be the lookout. She always was when she went on runs. There were several Crotes that tried to attack but she shot them easily, head shots every time. Dean parked and they went the rest of the way on foot.

"An open quarantine zone?" Alex asked as they squeezed through the fence.

"Told you I needed back up." Dean said. Daryl and Merle followed close behind. A herd of Crotes started running toward them and the four of them opened fire.

"Come on." Alex said to the Dixons, following Dean as he went through a doorway. This was too easy. For an open quarantine zone, there were strangely few monsters. "Dean, something's off."

"I know." Dean said. There should have been more demons around. Alex found a safe and broke it open. The Colt was resting inside.

"I got it." Alex said. "Let's get out of here."

They were right when they thought it was a trap because when they got outside, there were Crotes everywhere. When the infected monsters started running toward them, Alex used her demon powers to zap them all back to Camp Chitaqua.

"That was the dumbest idea you've ever had." Alex told Dean.

"Doesn't matter. We got what we went for." Dean winked at Alex. "Keep an eye on these two. Don't let them cause any trouble."

"There's showers over there." Alex pointed a few dozen yards from her cabin. "I think Cas might have something to fit you, if you want clean clothes. Please don't terrorize the others."

"You tryin' to get rid of us, sweetheart?" Merle asked, looking around.

"No. We can sleep here tonight and head back to the prison tomorrow." Alex said. "I'll be back later."

She found Dean in his cabin, drinking whiskey. Dean poured a drink for her and they clinked glasses.

"You're going after him tomorrow, aren't you?" Alex asked, downing her drink.

"Yeah. But you don't have to." Dean said.

"I do." Alex said. "We started this. We need to finish it."

Dean gulped his drink and sat the glass down roughly. "Lex, listen. I need to tell you something."

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"Nothing's wrong." Dean said. "I don't know how this normally goes so I'll just say it. I love you."

Alex felt her jaw drop. "What about Jane and Risa? You have a thing with both of them, don't you?"

"No." Dean said, standing to pace the floor and pouring himself another drink. "Not really. If this goes South tomorrow, I just wanted to make sure you knew it."

"You plan on coming back, right?" Alex said as she walked over to him.

"Things don't always go according to plan." Dean said.

Alex was quiet for a few beats. "I'm not really sure what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." Dean said, his heart pounding at having her so close. He lowered his head slowly and was a breath away from kissing her when she spoke.

"What about Sam?" Her voice was a whisper.

"He's gone, Lex. You can't keep holding on to him." Dean brushed his nose against hers. "He's not here so let me love you."

Dean closed the space between their lips and kissed her. It was a gentle kiss and Alex was the one to pull away.

"I can't love you the way you deserve to be loved." Alex said. "I'll always love Sam."

"I know you will." Dean said. "But that doesn't change how I feel."

"We can talk more about it when we get back tomorrow." Alex promised and moved away from him as Chuck knocked on the door. He had a list of things they needed but left after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"You should get some rest." Dean said. "We move out at midnight."

"You need to sleep too." Alex said.

"I got my four hours." Dean chuckled. "You can sleep here if you want."

"I better go check on Daryl and Merle. I'll meet you at midnight though."

**A/N: As always thank you for reading, following, and adding this story to your favorites. Feel free to leave a review on your way out. They're always appreciated and those emails always make me smile. **


	7. Chapter 7

Alex pulled the ponytail out of her hair and ran her fingers through the dark mess as she went back to her cabin. Dean had just dropped a huge bomb on her and she didn't know how to respond. Daryl had stayed in Alex's cabin but Merle had gone off on his own. Alex didn't worry too much about the other campers, they could handle the elder Dixon.

"Everythin' alright?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah." Alex nodded. "Dean and I were just going over the mission. We're moving out at midnight."

"We'll be ready." Daryl assured her.

"This time you guys aren't coming and I really mean it. It's going to be safer to take a small group and Cas and Yager know these streets." Alex said.

"Promised Rick I'd bring ya back."

"I'd feel better if you were here watching the camp." Alex admitted. "I don't know how this is going to go down tomorrow but if it ends badly, take all of these people back to the prison."

"Don't feel right." Daryl said. "Lettin' ya go by yourself."

"I'll come back." Alex said, sitting down on the bed next to him. "Please stay here. These people are my family. I don't care what happens to me but I do want them to be safe."

Their conversation was interrupted when Bobby knocked on the door. Alex got up and opened it, hugging the older man tightly.

"Don't you ever take off like that again, girl." Bobby said. "I swear you idjits are trying to kill me."

"Sorry, Bobby. I had some stuff to take care of." Alex pulled away from him. "Daryl, this is Bobby Singer. Hunter, father figure, and librarian extraordinaire."

"Nice to meet ya." Bobby nodded in Daryl's direction and Daryl reciprocated. "Dean said you got hurt. Need anything patched up?"

"Nope. One of the people I was with took care of it." Alex smiled. She had missed Bobby. "We're going after him tonight."

"Dean told me."

"Are you coming?" Alex depended on Bobby more than she realized until now. She could go with Dean to kill Lucifer but if Bobby was there, it'd be so much easier. Bobby was there the night Sam had said yes. Alex had gone to him first, barely making it through the door before she dissolved into sobs and Bobby hugged her, the daughter he thought he'd never have, trying to ease the loss of the person she loved most. He was the one who brought her to Dean.

"Not tonight. Dean asked me and Cas to stay behind and watch the camp. It's just gonna be you two." Bobby took her hand in his and squeezed gently. "You'll be fine."

"Against the devil?" Alex asked.

"He may be one tough sumbitch but you'll give him hell." Bobby chuckled. "One of the best damn hunters I ever met."

"Thanks, Bobby." Alex smiled and pushed her hair behind her ear. "I'll come find you once we get back?"

"Course you will." Bobby said, closing the cabin door behind him.

"You and him?" Daryl said, getting to his feet. "That ain't no small group."

"We've taken on worse with less." Alex said. She dug through the drawer on her nightstand and pulled out a necklace with an anti possession pendant. "Put this on. It'll keep you from getting possessed."

Daryl eyed the necklace for a second before snatching it out of Alex's hand and putting it around his neck. "Where's yours?"

"Tattoo." Alex said, showing him her left shoulder blade. She gave him an extra necklace for Merle. "I think I've got something to drink around here, if you want it."

"Nah, I'm good." Daryl said. If he was going to keep these people safe, he'd do it sober. He'd save his drink for when he brought Alex back to the prison.

Midnight came and Alex said goodbye to her friends, hugging Castiel and Bobby longer than the others. Dean was waiting for her in the Jeep and they drove in silence. On the way, Dean reached over and took Alex's hand in his own, threading their fingers together. Rain pattered on the windshield and filled the air with a clean smell. It was almost easy to believe that they were just going on a drive instead of a mission.

"Dean-"

"You don't have to say anything Alex." He knew where this conversation was going. If Dean could pretend that she loved him for a little while longer, it'd be easier to face Lucifer.

"I know I don't have to but I want to." Alex said. Dean had pressed the accelerator a little harder, increasing their speed. It was dangerous when the road was wet and even more dangerous when there was the possibility of Crotes jumping at them. "Can you stop the car for a second?"

"We need to keep going." Dean said. He didn't want to hear her reject him. Not right now.

"Dean, please." Alex said and he stepped on the brake, slowing the Jeep to a stop. The rain fell on the roof for several seconds before she spoke again. "I can't tell you that I don't care about you. I can't tell you that I don't love you but I also love him and that makes this hard for me. It feels disloyal to Sam."

"It's the end of the world, Lex." Dean rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. "I don't think those rules apply anymore."

Alex thought about his words and he let go of her hand so he could put the car in gear. She stopped him with a touch and leaned over the gearshift to kiss his cheek. She breathed in his musky scent and let her lips linger on his skin. Dean turned his head enough so he could look at her and put one hand on her neck, his fingers in her hair. He saw her eyes move from his eyes to his lips then back to his eyes and she leaned forward, making nervous contact with her own. Their lips moved together, tentative at first but growing more confident. Alex's tongue darted against his lips, asking for entry and Dean complied. He moaned into her mouth as their tongues danced together and put his other arm around her waist, pulling her into his lap in the driver's seat. He had always kept his hair short but she managed to tug on the short strands, her nails scraping against the skin and raising a desire in him he hadn't felt in a long while. Alex's shirt had ridden up slightly when Dean pulled her over and his hand roamed the skin that had been bared.

Dean nipped at her lower lip and Alex groaned and bucked her hips against his. The movement had caused her to accidentally sit on the horn and pulling them out of the kiss. Alex didn't move off his lap but adjusted her position so the horn would quiet. Their foreheads rested together as they tried to catch their breath.

"We should get moving." Dean said, his breath mingling with hers. When Alex moved to get off his lap, he captured her lips in a short but passionate kiss. "We are not done here, I promise."

Alex smiled and positioned herself in her seat as Dean put the Jeep in gear, moving them forward. They drove a little longer, their fingers entwined until they got to a large house. Dean picked up the Colt in his hand and Alex grabbed her gun.

"You go up the back. If it goes wrong, get the hell out of here." Dean said.

"I'm not leaving you." Alex said.

"If it gets rough, yes you are." Dean opened the car door and Alex followed.

Back at Camp Chitaqua, Daryl had gone to find Merle who had found Jane to his liking.

"C'mon man." Daryl said, interrupting the flirtation going on between his brother and Jane. "Promised Alex that we'd keep watch."

"You should take the time to enjoy the good things, lil brother." Merle chuckled. He promised Jane he'd be back later and walked with his brother. "Where'd your Kitten get off to anyhow?"

"She ain't mine." Daryl said. "Went off with that Winchester man. Off to fight the Devil."

"Lettin' a little lady like that go off on her own? Don't sound right baby brother." Merle said.

"She can handle herself." Daryl watched the trees and spun around when he heard gunfire. The Dixons started running toward the noise and saw a slaughter. Demons and Crotes had attacked the camp and the survivors had opened fire. The demons, of course, didn't die by the bullets and they took out the campers easily. Daryl took cover by a corner of a cabin when he felt someone tug on his arm. He turned with his knife ready to strike.

"Easy boy." Bobby said. "I need you to find Alex and Dean and get a message to them."

"What you want me to tell 'em?" Daryl asked, looking back at the attack.

"Tell them Poughkeepsie. They'll know what it means." Bobby said, cocking his weapon. "Get out of here."

Daryl didn't want to leave but he didn't want Alex to be caught in this trap. Merle had attacked a group of Crotes with his knife hand and Daryl whistled to him. Merle looked back and followed his brother through the woods. The Jeep tracks were easy to follow thanks to the mud the rain had created. Daryl had a bad feeling and cursed himself for not going with Alex.

Lucifer had been expecting Dean and Alex. He also knew that they would separate so he sent some demons to collect Alex and bring her to him. He was waiting for Dean in the garden and was a little disappointed that he was late.

"Hey Lucy." Dean said, staring at the back of Lucifer. The Colt clicked as he cocked it. "I'm home."

"Hello Dean." Lucifer turned and smiled at him. "You're late."

Dean pulled the trigger on the Colt and the bullet flew true, hitting Lucifer in the heart. He didn't care that it was Sam anymore. Dean wanted to end this so Alex wouldn't hurt anymore. Damn it if she wasn't right when she said the Colt wouldn't kill Lucifer.

"You know Dean," Lucifer said, brushing the blood off his suit, causing a red smear against the white fabric. He stalked toward Dean, who kept the gun aimed at Lucifer, and knocked the weapon from his hand. Clutching the front of Dean's jacket he said, "You have been such a pain in my ass."

"Feeling's mutual." Dean said, glaring at the devil. Lucifer smirked and shoved Dean against the brick wall of the building.

"I don't think it really is." Lucifer raised a fist and punched Dean's face. He spoke and enunciated each word with a punch. "I am going to break every bone in your body and then I'm going to kill you."

Dean hadn't noticed the chains dangling from the wall until Lucifer fastened them around his wrists. Alex was being dragged up the path by two demons, struggling to get free when she saw Dean. The demons released her and she ran to Dean, looking at his bloodied and bruising face. "Are you okay?"

"I told you to get out of here." Dean said.

Lucifer grabbed Alex's shoulder and spun her to face him, grabbing her throat and pinning her against the wall next to Dean. She whimpered and he stroked her hair as he pressed his body against hers and shushed her. "There's no need to be afraid, sweetheart."

Alex spit in his face and Lucifer smirked. He had picked up the Colt while Alex was examining Dean's injuries and held it under her jaw. "Sam misses you. He's begging me to take you right here."

"Go to hell." Alex said.

"Get away from her." Dean growled, struggling against the chains.

"That's enough out of you." Lucifer moved the Colt from Alex's jaw and aimed it at Dean's chest, firing once. Alex screamed as the shot echoed and Dean groaned in pain. Lucifer turned his attention back to Alex, who was terrified but refused to show it. "Where were we?"

Lucifer pressed his lips against Alex's, despite her pushing him away by his shoulders. Lucifer hadn't been lying: Sam wanted to feel Alex again but not this way. The Devil didn't care. He was through playing nice. Sam would get what he wanted and then Lucifer would get what he wanted.

"Get off of her." Dean's voice was weak but clear. Alex's whimpers and struggling broke through the fog of the pain.

Lucifer didn't listen as he yanked Alex's belt off, one arm pinning her hands above her head. Alex brought her knee up between his legs. It didn't hurt Lucifer but the motion angered him and he grabbed a fistful of her hair and pushed her to her knees, yanking her hair. Alex grabbed his wrist with both hands. "I'm not afraid of you."

Lucifer knelt and chuckled as he rubbed his nose along her jaw, his hand still grasping her hair tightly. "I don't want you to be afraid of me. But you have been so very naughty bringing Dean here like that. You need to be punished."

He pulled the angel blade she had in her boot sheath and gently dragged the tip of the blade down her throat and between her breasts, causing her breath to catch. He pressed the blade into her skin and let it glide across her chest. "You will learn not to cross me. You will learn to do what I say."

"I'm a slow learner." Alex said and swept her leg under Lucifer's, knocking him down to the ground. She grabbed his hand that held the angel blade and straddled his waist, trying to push the blade into his heart. Lucifer was stronger and brought his hand across her face. In a swift movement, he had Alex on the ground, the blade pressing into her skin, through the bone. Lucifer twisted the blade and Alex screamed, the weight of Lucifer's body squeezing the breath out of her. Then suddenly the weight was gone, disappearing with a loud "Oof!"

"C'mon girl." Daryl grabbed her arm, helping her up. "We gotta go."

"I can't leave Dean." Alex said. Daryl had pulled the angel blade from her chest and Alex grabbed it from him, scanning the garden for Lucifer. Merle had taken him by surprise and had Lucifer pinned to the ground for the time being. Daryl worked to unchain Dean and Alex tried to get to Merle before Lucifer threw him. She got there too late but took the advantage of her position behind him to raise the angel blade, ready to strike. Lucifer turned around as she lowered the blade and grabbed her arm, snapping the bone easily. Alex shrieked in pain as Lucifer released her arm.

"I hope you've learned your lesson, Lexi mine." Lucifer grabbed her hair once more, his words a lethal whisper next to her ear. "You are mine, you always will be mine, and you will never rise against me again."

"Wanna bet?" Alex asked, ripping her shirt open. She had drawn an angel banishing sigil in the skin of her chest and thanks to Lucifer, her hand was bleeding. She pressed her hand to her chest and a bright light shone, banishing Lucifer to parts unknown. She managed to stand, her shirt hanging open and her chest, face, and broken arm aching. "We have to get out of here."

Dean was barely conscious when Daryl and Merle got him to the Jeep, lying him in the backseat. Alex brought up the rear and climbed in the back. "Get back to the camp."

"Poughkeepsie." Daryl said, shifting the car into gear and glancing at her in the rear view mirror.

Alex clenched her teeth and her eyes watered as she looked at Dean's injuries. "Get back to the camp."

"Lex." Dean gasped.

Alex grabbed his hand with her unbroken arm. "I'm here, Dean. I'm not going anywhere."

"I love you." Dean said, his eyes closing.

"Don't you dare die on me, Dean Winchester. I can't lose you too." Alex let the tears fall freely and rested her head on his chest, careful of the bullet wound. "You promised we weren't done. You promised."

Dean raised a hand and stroked her hair. "Give 'em hell, Lex."

"No, please." Alex said, looking at his face. His breathing was slowing down. "Make a deal with me Dean. Please. Let me save you and give me the chance to love you. Please."

"I don't want a deal. That's how we get into trouble." Dean said. He raised a weak hand to wipe Alex's tears away and let his own fall. He had to say goodbye to the girl he loves and she was hurting but he couldn't do a damn thing about it. Alex kissed the palm of his hand as he pressed it to her face.

"Let me save you." Alex begged softly.

Dean pulled her down to him so he could kiss her one last time, their lips wet by the tears rolling down both of their faces. "I love you."

He closed his eyes and gave into the darkness and Alex sobbed against his chest, her own injuries burning. Daryl stopped the car when they got to the camp and Alex climbed out, looking at the carnage around her. The cabins were on fire and most of the bodies were gone but Castiel and Bobby were laid out in front of Alex's cabin. She hadn't stopped crying as she walked from the car to her cabin and knelt between her friends. Alex covered her face with her hands and wailed loudly, rocking back and forth in the grass. Daryl and Merle watched over her as she mourned her losses. Several hours passed before Alex rose from between the bodies and started collecting wood.

Daryl raised his bow to put an arrow in Castiel's and Bobby's heads but Alex stopped him. "They're hunters and we cremate our hunters."

Daryl wanted to look at her wounds but Alex wanted to finish the pyres first. She pressed a kiss to Bobby's and Castiel's foreheads before lighting their separate pyres. Dean was saved for the last and she cleaned the blood from his face before she lit his pyre. She, Merle, and Daryl watched the flames until they died. Then, and only then, did Alex wipe the blood off her face, wrap her arm in a makeshift brace, and climbed in the back of the Impala as Merle drove them back to the prison. She let the tears fall silently as she stared out the window. She was so lost in her own thoughts, she didn't realize that time had passed and they were at the prison. Daryl helped her out of the Impala and her body was weak from shock, loss, and her injuries that her legs wouldn't support her. He lifted her into his arms and carried her inside to her cell, where she stared at the wall. She didn't speak even when Hershel came to set her arm and clean her wounds.

"What happened to her?" Rick asked Daryl when Hershel finished cleaning her up and joined them.

"She lost everything." Daryl said simply. Rick and Hershel left Alex to her own thoughts while Daryl walked back into her cell. He leaned his back against the wall opposite her bed and slid to the ground, keeping watch over her.

**A/N: This chapter was hard to write and I won't lie, I cried a couple times writing it. I do hope you all enjoy it. Feel free to leave a review on your way out, my lovlies. Thank you for reading, following, and favoriting this story. I love all of you. xo**


	8. Chapter 8

Hershel had found the supplies to give Alex a cast so her arm would heal properly. She laid there silently as he wrapped her arm. It had been three days since she returned and she still had not spoken. Carol helped change her clothes and tried to get her to eat something but Alex remained lifeless. As Hershel finished her cast, he watched her face as she stared at the wall. When she had first arrived at the prison she had a sparkle in her eye, a gleam of life, but now that was gone. She had retreated inside herself and seemed like she was staying there. The only time she had moved was to clutch the silver heart locket resting at her throat and she still had not let it go.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Hershel said, trying to raise a response of some kind. "We've all lost family, people we cared about."

Alex didn't respond or make any acknowledgment that she heard his words. Hershel sighed and laid her newly cast arm on the bed next to her. He left her cell and shook his head when Rick glanced at him.

Inside her mind, Alex was replaying conversations she had with her friends. Castiel had given her his grace and it had hurt to remove it. He placed it in her locket, the one Sam had given her on her birthday, and sealed it.

"_This won't give you angelic abilities per se," Castiel said, clasping the locket around her neck. "But it will significantly amplify your demonic abilities."_

"_Will I get wings?" Alex asked, fingering the locket once it was clasped. _

"_I don't know." Castiel admitted. "But promise me that you won't use your abilities for evil." _

"_I promise." Alex said. _

Alex could hear Dean in her mind, telling her to get off her ass and go kill the devil.

"_I can't do it." She told him. "Not by myself." _

"_You have to do it, Lex." Dean told her. "There's nobody else. Now come on. Get up, get a plan, and get moving."_

"_He has the angel blade and the Colt." Alex said. _

"_Use Cas' grace. That's why he gave it to you." Dean said. "You will find a way to beat him. But first you have to stand up and get moving." _

Alex sat up slowly, bringing her feet over the side of the bed to rest on the floor. She couldn't hear anybody else in the cell block. Alex thought if she was going to use Castiel's grace then she should get somewhere that people couldn't get hurt. After all she had no real idea what would happen. She saw the cast on her arm and made a mental note to thank Hershel later. The others would try to stop her from going outside the fence so she went through the tombs, killing off Crotes as she went. Alex went through the door leading from the administration building to the woods and moved quietly.

When she got to a place she deemed safe enough, Alex unclasped the locket and stared at the heart in her hand. Taking a deep breath, she whispered the incantation to open the locket and closed her eyes as a bright light shone. As the grace moved to her body, she felt like she was on fire for a long few minutes then there was relief. Alex could feel the power buzzing on her skin and something on her arm caught her eye. Twisting her arm, Alex saw feathers inked on her arm, anatomically correct markings where wings should be.

Everything was a thousand times brighter, more vibrant, and she could hear everything. She looked back down at the locket in her hands and slowly closed her fist, crushing the small necklace and dropping it in the dirt. She ground it into the mud with the heel of her boot and cleared her throat, walking back to the prison. She was almost clear of the trees when the gunfire started. Alex grabbed for her gun but realized that she had left it in her cell.

"Damn." She muttered as she moved quietly through the trees, trying to stay in their cover. She saw one of the Governor's men hiding at the edge of the tree line and she snuck up behind him. He turned when he heard a branch snap and saw Alex. He opened fire and Alex hid behind a tree trunk. She waited until he came into her peripheral vision then she turned and shoved him against a tree, placing her hand on his head. A light glowed from his eyes and mouth, much as it did when Castiel smote demons, and the body fell to the ground. Alex took his gun and moved quickly through the trees when she heard another vehicle coming. She watched as the large white and orange box truck ran through the front gates of the prison and idled in the grass.

The Governor's men had ceased fire when the truck came. The back of the truck opened and a ramp fell to the grass, allowing dozens of Walkers to exit the back. There were too many to count but Alex estimated a dozen. She checked her ammo but it was gone. The shoot out had drawn every Walker in the area. Alex heard their snarls then sprinted through the edge of the trees, making it to the fence before she tripped. A Walker caught her as she tried to stand up and dragged her back into the dirt by her legs, its mouth open and snarling.

"Please let this work." Alex begged herself and closed her eyes, drawing on the angelic grace to kill the Walker. A bright light shone, causing the others at the prison to cover their eyes, and the Walkers that had been chasing her fell to the ground, their eyes burnt out of their heads. Alex let out the breath she had been holding and let her head drop to the ground, panting. She got up and looked at the Walker filled yard and went around the fences to the tomb entry, making her way to the cell block.

"You alright?" Rick asked her when she walked in. She nodded in the affirmative. "We're not leaving the prison."

"He's going to come back with more guns and men." Hershel said.

"Let 'im." Daryl said. "We ain't scared of that prick."

"Right now we need to get the field cleared." Rick said.

"I can get up in that guard tower." Daryl said. "Take out half them Walkers. Give these guys a chance to fix the fence."

"We can't clear the fence without burning through our bullets." Hershel said.

"I can do it." Alex said. The men looked at her in surprise. She hadn't spoken for three days. "I can keep the field cleared while they fix the fence."

"How?" Rick asked her.

"Cas gave me his grace." Alex said. "I used it and I can use it to clear the field. Do you have what you need to fix the fence?"

"Let's go look." Hershel told Rick.

Alex and Daryl didn't talk as they walked outside. Before she opened the fence she told him, "You don't have to come with me."

"Last time I let ya off on your own, ya got your arm broke."

Alex half smiled but opened the fence. "Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Your eyes. Close them." Alex said. Daryl did as he was told and Alex raised her hands and closed her own eyes. She willed the grace to kill the Walkers and even with her eyes closed, the light made them ache. But she had done what she wanted to. The field was cleared of Walkers but there were still more coming in. "We need to fix this fence fast. I can keep doing this but if we don't fix the fence it won't do any good."

"Looks like we're out of luck too." Daryl was looking at Rick and Hershel at the fence. They shook their heads.

"We could probably get something to fix it at that hardware store a few miles up the road."

"Nah. We can't go with the Governor's men out there." Daryl said. "Too dangerous."

"You know me. I live for danger." Alex chuckled and flexed her fingers in her cast.

"We'll figure somethin' out." Daryl nudged her and they walked back to the prison. "Where'd ya get the new tatt?"

"Courtesy of Cas' grace." Alex said, examining the wings burned into her arms. They were black, like Cas' wings had been. She paused and held her arms out with her back to Daryl so he could see it. "Do you like it?"

Daryl grunted and shrugged.

"Stop. You'll make me blush." Alex teased him and he snorted as they resumed walking. "Thanks for getting me back."

Daryl nodded. "Sorry 'bout everything."

"It's not your fault." Alex said. "But thanks."

"What ya gonna do now?" Daryl asked. "Bout him?"

"I'm going to kill him. I don't have a choice." Alex said. They stopped walking when they got to the Impala and Alex leaned against the car, loving the way the warm metal warmed her skin. "If I can get him by surprise, I can probably do it."

"If ya don't?" Daryl said.

"Then I'm going to die." Alex said. Changing the subject she asked, "What do you miss? From before?"

"Hot water. Booze." Daryl said. 

"We could find booze if we wanted to." Alex said. "You're probably a lush anyway."

"Shut up." Daryl said and Alex laughed. "What ya know 'bout drinking?"

"Hunters are almost exclusively alcoholics." Alex said. Remembering that Dean had kept a bottle of whiskey in the trunk, she opened it and held the bottle out to Daryl. "What do you say?"

"Nah." Daryl shook his head.

Alex watched him as she unscrewed the cap and took a long drink, licking her lips after she swallowed it. "Your loss, Dixon."

"What have we here?" Merle asked as he came over and took the bottle from Alex. "You've been hidin' the good stuff on me, darlin."

Alex took the bottle from him after he drank from it and went inside. She offered some to the rest of the group but the only takers were Glenn and Maggie. They sat on the perch of the cell block and drank, laughing and telling stories. Hershel and Carol had gone out for their watch and Glenn and Maggie retreated to their cell when they were still able to walk, giggling and leaning on each other. Alex chuckled as she watched them go. She was barely tipsy and Daryl approached her when he came in from his watch.

"Ya finish that all by yourself?" Daryl asked.

"Nope. Glenn and Maggie helped me." Alex said. "Those two are lightweights."

"Glenn got drunk when we went to the CDC in Atlanta." Daryl said, sitting next to her. "Hungover as hell the next day."

"Your cheek's all healed." Alex pointed at the faint scar.

"Told ya I didn't need stitches." Daryl said.

"You were right." Alex sighed and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to bed."

**A/N: I will admit this chapter was mostly a filler but there was the fight at the prison so yay for plot development. Feel free to leave a review on your way out and as always, thanks for reading, following, and adding to your favorites. xo**


	9. Chapter 9

"You killed Dean and hurt Alex!" Sam shouted at Lucifer. "You weren't supposed to hurt them."

"They tried to kill me Sam. Kill us." Lucifer said, buttoning one of Sam's plaid shirts. "Besides, she and Dean were involved in a romantic nature. Well, starting to perhaps. I did you a favor."

"She's never going to forgive you for this." Sam said. "Neither will I."

"You will once I get Alex." Lucifer promised. "And I will get her. But I may need your help."

"How could I help?" Sam asked. "You're an angel. If you can't do it..."

"She's prone to following her heart. You know this as well as I do." Lucifer said. "Right now her heart is shattered in a million tiny little pieces. Time to clean up the mess."

Rick had taken Michonne and Carl with him on a weapons run. Daryl was left behind to keep an eye on Merle and Alex was left because Hershel thought it best if she waited a bit longer. Hershel noticed the light coming back in Alex's eyes over the next few days, mostly when she was talking with Daryl. He was glad that they had become friends. The pair needed each other more than they realized.

"I'm telling you, Dixon." Alex said. "A compound bow would work better for you. You could fire faster, draw back faster, kill more Walkers."

"Compound bow's for pussies." Daryl said, stabbing a Walker in the head.

Alex laughed. "Maybe you can't handle it."

"What?" Daryl glanced at her before they progressed on their hunt.

"Maybe you can't handle a compound bow so you went for the easy way out." Alex said. "Or maybe you're overcompensating by trying to be a badass."

"Watch your mouth, Kitten." Daryl said, stepping over a log. Merle had taken to using that nickname for Alex when the brothers were alone and Daryl didn't think twice about calling her that.

"Or else what?" Alex asked. They stopped so Daryl could look for tracks and she crouched next to him. "You gonna watch it for me?"

"Maybe." Daryl said, glancing at her as he stood.

"My, my." Alex teased as she stood, brushing the dirt off the knees of her jeans. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were flirting with me Daryl Dixon."

Daryl raised his bow and fired, striking a rabbit and killing it. Alex watched him pick up the dead animal and shove it in a pocket. "Hello dinner."

"I feel like there's a better way of carrying dead animals."

"Can I ask ya somethin'?" Daryl asked.

"Sure." Alex said. "Shoot."

"You're a demon angel person, right?"

"Yep."

"Ya can do anythin'?"

"I guess so. Haven't really put that to the test yet." Alex shrugged. "Demons can make deals to get people what they want." 

"Why ain't ya wished life back to normal?" Daryl asked.

"I tried. When this all first started, Dean and I tried. He made the deal but it didn't do any good." Alex kicked a small rock out of her path. "We think the way to stop it is kill Lucifer."

"Think?"

"We haven't exactly faced this situation before." Alex used her hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she looked back at the prison. "We should probably get back."

Daryl nodded and they walked through the trees, crunching twigs under their feet. They walked for several yard in silence. Alex walked a little bit in front of Daryl and he watched her as they went back to the prison. He admitted to himself that she wasn't a bad lookin' girl with dark hair, bright green eyes, and those tattoos. Damn those tattoos were sexy. Add that to her knowledge of weapons and the feminine muscularity of her body and she was a knock out. Couldn't blame Lucifer for wantin' a girl like that next to him.

"Daryl." Alex hissed at him but he didn't hear it. One of the Governor's men was about fifty yards ahead of them. She threw a rock in their opposite direction and when the guard looked toward the noise, Alex moved over and pulled Daryl behind a tree, his back against the trunk.

"The hell ya doin'?" Daryl asked and Alex put her hand over his mouth, pressing her body closer against him as she peeked around the tree.

"There's one of the Governor's guys." Alex whispered and looked back to him, moving her hand. "Sorry."

"Gonna have to take him out." Daryl said, adjusting his position so he could look around the trunk. The guard had his back to them and Daryl aimed his bow at the guard, firing. He hit his target and went to collect his arrow, pulling it out of the man's head. "Thanks."

"It's what I'm here for." Alex smiled. They took the route through the woods to the administration building, avoiding the field that was still full of Walkers. It didn't seem to matter how often Alex emptied it because a little later it was full again.

"Oh my God." A voice said as she and Daryl walked into the cell block. "Lex?"

"How the hell did you get in here?" Alex asked. "The angel warding is up."

"He came walking through the field." Carl said. "Walkers almost got him. We didn't know who he was but he saw your car and asked about you."

"What?" Alex didn't know what else to say.

"I just woke up a few days ago and it was me." Sam said, walking slowly toward her. "I started walking and here I am."

"Why were you in Georgia?" Alex asked. "Lucifer was in South Dakota last time I saw him."

"I don't know." Sam admitted. He understood her hesitation. "I'm so glad I found you."

"Do you mind if I hold back the joy until we go through the drill?" Alex asked and Sam nodded. When she was satisfied that it was Sam, Alex threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her, overjoyed to have her in his arms again.

"What happened to your arm?" Sam asked her after they released each other.

"Lucifer happened." Alex said, glancing at the others as they decided to be elsewhere during their reunion. "Sam, he killed Dean."

"What?" Sam's eyes filled with tears. "Dean's dead?"

Alex nodded. "The whole camp was murdered. Cas, Bobby, Chuck...they're all dead."

"At least you're okay." Sam said, clearing his throat. He didn't waste another second and kissed her deeply and she responded in kind. The group adjusted well to Sam considering the situation. Everyone except Daryl, that is. He kept his distance from Alex but she didn't understand why. She cornered him during their watch so she could weasel it out of him.

"Thought you'd be with him tonight." Daryl said.

"I'm not gonna let you be out here alone." Alex said, nudging him playfully with her elbow. "Besides, Sam could use his rest."

"Somethin' ain't right." Daryl said. "Bout Sam."

Alex glanced at the prison to make sure they were alone before she answered. "I know. Lucifer wouldn't give up his vessel. This is a game."

"Ya plannin' on winnin'?" Daryl asked.

"Yes I do." Alex replied. She bent over and pulled the angel blade out of her boot. "He brought this with him. Proof that he is who he says he is."

"How do ya know it ain't him?"

"I can tell. It's a good try but I can tell."

Alex wanted to kill Lucifer with as little spectacle as possible so she had him help her 'clear the lower levels'. Sam was helpful as they moved through the halls.

"Where's all the Walkers?" Sam asked.

"We cleared this level a few weeks ago." Alex admitted, stopping a few feet away from him. She lit a lighter on and dropped it on the ring of holy oil she had carefully placed there earlier.

"What's going on, Lex?" Sam asked. "Let me out."

"Come out on your own." Alex said.

"Baby, it's me." Sam said, in a gooey lovey tone. "Lex, I love you."

"You're trying to appeal to the fact that I loved you?" Alex asked. "You can't pull those strings anymore because they're not attached to anything."

"Don't try and blame me for that." Sam said. "You were the one who abandoned me."

"You went somewhere I couldn't follow!" Alex shouted. "You wanted me to go with Lucifer and help him kill these people! These are good people who don't deserve that."

"They're lying and murderous." Lucifer said, dropping the act.

"So are you." Alex stepped as close to the holy oil as she could stand and glared in Lucifer's eyes.

"I'll bring Dean back for you." Lucifer said as she turned and walked away.

Alex stomped back to him. "I wouldn't want a glass of water from you if I was dying of thirst."

"Are you going to kill me?" Lucifer asked. He seemed more curious than afraid.

"I am. And when you're dead the world will go back to normal." Alex said, drawing the angel blade from her boot.

Lucifer laughed at her. "The world isn't this way because of me. It's because of you, my precious little patient zero."

"You're trying to stall. It's not going to work." Alex said.

"I got this virus from your blood. You're the cure." Lucifer said. "Well, in a sense."

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked.

"This virus will die when you do." Lucifer stepped close to the edge of the flaming circle. The light reflecting on his face made him look truly terrifying. "When you have the demon part of you ripped from your body, when your life is ebbing away, then will the world be 'cured'."

"Good to know." Alex said. She watched him through the flames and he stared back. "Sam, if you can hear me, I'm sorry."

With that she leapt through the fire and shoved the blade through Lucifer's heart. A white light shone and Alex painfully covered her eyes. When she looked back, Sam's body was lying there with Lucifer's wings burnt on the floor. She wept tears of joy that it was finally finished; Lucifer was finally dead.

**A/N: She finally did it! Three cheers for Alex! Now I suppose it's less of a crossover but I shall continue along the plot of the show. Thanks as always for reading and feel free, as always, to leave a review on your way out. **

**Dalonega: I have wanted that tattoo for a really long time but it's expensive. lol**


	10. Chapter 10

Alex had sat with Sam's body in the lower levels for a while. It was hard to tell how long exactly she sat with him, his head cradled in her lap, stroking his hair. Tears fell silently down her cheeks and Alex let her head rest against the wall, the cool cement giving her chills.

"I wish you would have said no." Alex said softly, her voice breaking. "I wish you would say something. I wish I didn't have to give up on you."

Tears splashed on Sam's forehead and she wiped them away. Alex carefully laid his head on the ground and laid down next to him, pulling his lifeless arms around her and resting her head on his chest. She half waited for a heartbeat but knew one wouldn't come. At least this way she could pretend like he was still alive, was still Sam, a little while longer.

"We could have run away." Alex said. "We could have had everything we wanted if we had just run away. Away from demons and angels."

Alex knew she couldn't stay down here so she wiped her eyes, sniffled and stood. Thanks to her newfound angelic strength, she was able to get Sam out in the courtyard. With all of the Walkers in the field, she couldn't bury Sam so she started to collect wood for a pyre. Once the pyre was built, she placed his body on it, salted his bones and lit the pyre.

"What is she doing?" Carol asked Hershel. The flames had caught their eyes from their cover on the catwalk. They had set up pallets to hide behind after the Governor's attack.

"She's grieving." Hershel said. "Leave her be."

"She's going to attract more Walkers." Carol protested.

"Let her go." Daryl said. He hadn't seen Sam since they went to the Tombs and he knew who's body she was burning. "She can handle the Walkers if they come."

"What is that?" Hershel squinted in the distance. He looked through the scope of his rifle and saw the blonde woman approaching with a Walker on a leash. "It's Andrea. Get Rick."

Carol nodded and went to find the ex sheriff. Daryl walked over to Alex and nudged her as she watched the flames, nodding toward the fence when she looked at him. She followed his gaze and saw the blonde woman. "Who is that?"

"Andrea. She's with the Governor." Daryl said as they followed Rick as his backup when he ran to the fence.

"Are you alone?!" Rick shouted.

"Rick!" Andrea said, looking at the Walkers approaching her.

"Let her in." Alex said. "I'll handle it if she's not alone."

Rick let her in and immediately slammed her against the fence, checking for any weapons. A Walker slammed against the gate, eliciting a shriek from Andrea, and Rick threw her to her knees on the cement. "Welcome back."

Andrea was escorted into the cell block with Daryl and Alex bringing up the rear, checking for snipers. The first thing Andrea did was hug Carol for a long minute. Alex stood next to the door at the entrance of the cell block, blocking anyone from entering and crossed her arms.

"After you saved me, we thought you were dead." Carol said.

When Andrea released Carol, her question was, "Where's Shane?"

She was met with awkward silence and Andrea took it to mean he was dead. "And Lori?"

"She had a girl." Hershel said. "Lori didn't survive."

"I'm so sorry." Andrea said and it sounded sincere. "You all live here?"

"Here and the cell block." Glenn said.

"In there?" Andrea pointed at the door and started walking. Alex stepped in front of her. "Can I see?"

"No." Alex said.

"I'm not an enemy." Andrea said, turning back to the others. No one made a move to counter Alex's denial to her request. "What the hell? I left Atlanta with you people and now I'm the odd man out?"

"We had that field and courtyard cleared until your boyfriend tore down the fence and shot us up." Rick said.

"He said you fired first." Andrea said.

"He lied." Alex replied.

"I cannot excuse or explain what Philip has done." Andrea said. "But I am here trying to bring us together. He said he would meet with Rick. He's willing to talk."

"It's too late." Rick said. "We're gonna kill him. I don't know how or when. But we will."

"We can settle this." Andrea insisted.

"No we can't." Alex interrupted. "Men like 'Philip' only take what they want. They don't negotiate."

"He's gearing up for war." Andrea said.

"Let him." Alex said. Rick didn't interrupt and let her talk. "If he wants a war, he better be prepared to lose."

"You can't win against him." Andrea said. She had no idea who this girl with the wing tattoo was but she didn't like her much.

"You'd be surprised." Alex said simply.

"We've taken too much shit for too long." Glenn said. "He wants a war? He's got one."

"If you don't sit down and try to work this out, you're all going to die." Andrea said.

"I'm not going to let that happen." Alex said.

"Who the hell are you?" Andrea asked angrily.

"Alex Hunter. Demon." Alex said with a false smile.

"You want to help us?" Rick said. "Get us inside Woodbury."

"No." Andrea said.

"Then we got nothing to talk about." Rick walked out of the cell block. Andrea and Michonne left a few minutes later.

"You were able to do it?" Hershel asked Alex softly.

"I was." Alex said.

"Are you alright?" Was Hershel's next question.

Alex nodded. "I'm done grieving. You guys are my friends and I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I just hope Andrea chooses the right side."

Alex went to find Rick and he was on the catwalk. "You know that if you talk to him and it goes south, we can still kill him, right?"

"Ain't worth it." Rick said.

"Is it worth it if Carl and Judith can be safe without Carl having to kill somebody or, worse, lose you?" Alex leaned against the fence. "He's already lost Lori. Don't make your children an orphan."

Rick was silent as Alex started to walk away, speaking before she was gone. "You with us?"

"One hundred percent." Alex didn't turn when she spoke and went out to the courtyard. The pyre had burned out, a pile of ashes on the cement. She picked up a handful and released it into the wind, watching them dance through the air. With nothing better to do, and in an effort to calm her nerves, Alex went to the Impala and opened the hood. Dean had left some tools in a tool box in the trunk. It had been a diversion tactic in case the car had been taken by the police. She saw the hacksaw in the box and looked at her arm. The cast was only getting in the way and her arm had been healed when she took Castiel's grace.

It was slow going but eventually Alex got it off. She flexed her fingers and tossed the plaster aside, taking her place under the hood. There was a lot that needed done so she started working. Dean would have killed her if he had seen the mess under the hood.

"There's a beautiful sight indeed, brother." Merle said as he walked toward her, eyeing her ass as she leaned over the front of the car. "An ass like that is truly something to behold."

"Bite me, Merle." Alex said, not bothering to look at him.

"Sounds like an invitation to me." Merle chuckled. "Why don't ya let a man who knows what he's doin' handle that for ya?"

"I know what I'm doing." Alex said. "I know this car like the back of my hand."

"Ain't talkin' bout the car, sweetheart." Merle said.

"Leave her alone, Merle." Daryl's voice said.

"Somethin' tells me that it's been a while for ya." Merle didn't listen to his brother. "Maybe all ya need is a real man to dust off the cobwebs. So ta speak."

"I'd love to engage in a battle of wits but I'm working here." Alex said.

"Ya cold as ice, darlin'." Merle chuckled. "Maybe Darylina can get somewhere with ya."

"He don't mean nothin'." This was Daryl's form of an apology. "He's just Merle."

"It's all right." Alex said, standing up straight. "It's kind of hard to offend me anyway."

"Tune up?" Daryl shrugged in the direction of the car.

"Yeah. Dean would've had a stroke if he had seen this." Alex said. She braided her hair out of her face as she looked at the engine again. "There's only so much I can do but it's better than nothing. By the way, I never thanked you for helping me with the camp."

Daryl grunted and shrugged. "Promised Rick I'd bring ya back, Kit."

Alex kissed his cheek. "Thanks for your help. Why are you calling me 'Kit' by the way?"

"Ain't a law against it." Daryl said, almost smiling. He watched her work for a minute before taking the wrench away from her. "Ya doin' that wrong."

**A/N: As always thank you for reading. Feel free to leave a review on your way out darlings! **

**Dalonega: I'm pro compound too. I'm glad that you think the teasing and nickname are perfect. Sometimes I worry that Daryl is a little OOC. xo**


	11. Chapter 11

Rick marked the territories on the map. "We get the east of the river and Woodbury gets the west. Everybody stays where they are and nobody trades."

"Think the Governor will go for it?" Alex asked, examining the map.

"If he doesn't want a war." Rick said. He took the map from her and folded it. Looking at Daryl, Hershel, and Alex he asked for volunteers to go with him.

"I'll go." Alex spoke quickly. "If he tried anything, I can take care of it."

"What if you're hurt?" Hershel asked.

"I won't be." Alex said.

"I'll come with ya." Daryl said. "Just in case."

"Hershel will stay here then. Keep an eye on things." Rick said and Hershel nodded once. The group dispersed and Alex went to make sure her weapons would be ready. They were leaving in a few hours so she wanted to be ready.

"Your car stays." Rick had come to join her outside, fully trusting in her abilities to keep him from being shot. "Don't want to draw too much attention."

Alex feigned insult then joined Rick as he laughed. "I figured. I guess we'll take the Hyundai?"

"Yeah. I'll have you drive and wait outside with Daryl. If I need you, I'll holler." Rick said.

"We need a stress reliever." Alex said after they were silent for a few moments. "Everything is too tense."

"What would you suggest?" Rick asked, a smile on his lips.

"Cas always said an orgy was good stress relief." Alex laughed at Rick's look. "Maybe we could have games or something. Before all this I used to dance."

"You'll have to show us your moves sometime." Rick said. "Get your gear. We're leavin' in ten."

Alex nodded and grabbed her gun and angel blade, tossing them in the Hyundai. Daryl was packing up his motorcycle, his ever present crossbow on his back. Rick joined them and got in the car, letting Alex drive. The feed warehouse where they were meeting was in a 'neutral point' and not very far between the two places. Rick and Daryl went to check the perimeter while Alex stood guard. When Daryl came back, he was alone.

"He's already in there. Sat down with Rick." Daryl told her.

"This doesn't feel right." Alex said, looking around.

"Leave it running." Daryl said and she nodded. They heard a car approaching and Daryl knocked on the hood twice. "Heads up."

Alex got out of the car as Daryl raised his bow at the coming truck, moving to join Daryl at the front of the car. She didn't bother with a weapon but turned her eyes black.

"What the hell? Why's your boy already in there?" Daryl asked as Andrea and Martinez climbed out of the cab. A man with glasses also exited the truck.

"He's here?" Andrea asked.

"Yup." Daryl said, not lowering his bow. The others stared at Alex's eyes before looking away. Andrea went into the warehouse, leaving Martinez and the one with glasses.

"Put it down, Daryl." Alex said, placing a hand on his shoulder and he lowered his weapon. She looked back at the warehouse. "Maybe I should go inside."

"The Governor thought it best if he and Rick spoke privately." The spectacled man said.

"Who the hell are you?" Daryl asked.

"Milton Mamet." He replied.

"Great. He brought his butler." Daryl said. Martinez chuckled and Alex rolled her eyes.

"I'm his advisor." Milton corrected.

"What kind of advice?" Daryl asked.

"Planning. Biters." Milton said. "I'm sorry. I don't feel the need to explain myself to the henchmen."

"Better watch your mouth, sunshine." Daryl said.

"Daryl, don't antagonize them." Alex said, leaning against the car.

"Listen to your girl, man." Martinez said. "If we're gonna be here all day pointing guns at each other, do me a favor and keep your mouth shut."

Daryl took several short steps and got close to Martinez. It was a challenge and Alex stepped between the two men. "If this ends badly, we're gonna be shooting at each other soon enough." She faced Daryl and pushed him back with her hand on his chest. "Let's not give them a reason to let this treaty fall through."

Daryl nodded but glared at Martinez, pulling Alex behind him and placing himself protectively in front of her. She noticed that Milton had been writing in a small booklet since he arrived. Andrea walked out of the warehouse and Martinez pulled the door closed.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" Milton asked Alex. At her look he stammered, "I mean why are they black?"

"Because I'm special on the inside." Alex smirked. Daryl had started pacing, uncomfortable with doing nothing, and Alex grabbed his arm. She tugged him to sit next to her, her arm linked through his.

"I'm making a history of what we've gone through." Milton said. "I've got dozens of interviews but-"

Snarling alerted them to the presence of Walkers and Daryl, Martinez, and Andrea went to handle them while Alex stayed as Rick's backup. She didn't particularly like letting him go with the Governor's people but Daryl could handle himself.

"Why are your eyes black?" Milton asked, his tone curious.

"I'm half demon." Alex said.

"I've heard some demons can make bargains or deals. Can you?" Milton asked.

"If you have something I want." Alex answered. "Most demons trade in souls but I don't. Souls are too precious to be bartered away."

Milton nodded and made notes in his book.

"What is it you want?" Alex was curious.

"I want this disease stopped. Have the world be back the way it was." Milton's answer was quick.

"I can't help you there." Alex said with a sigh. "I know what the cure is but there's nothing I can do about it."

"What's the cure?" Milton was eager.

She watched him carefully. He wasn't a soldier but the Governor was. She didn't know if he would tell what the cure was. Alex made a careful decision. "If you find patient zero and kill them, the cure starts."

"Who's patient zero?" Milton asked. Alex cleared her throat and stood, glancing at Daryl who was smoking a cigarette. He must have gotten them off a Walker.

Milton had talked to Lucifer when he was in Woodbury and Lucifer had told him how to bind Alex to a master. It was a small symbol but needed to be branded or carved into her skin. He did have a knife but he wasn't sure if he could do it quick enough to live to tell the tale. Martinez could handle Daryl and the Governor was talking about peace with Rick. But this was a cure. From the way she acted, if she died the world would come back to normal. Even if he died doing it, Milton thought it would be worth it.

He acted too slow because Rick and the Governor exited the warehouse, getting into their separate vehicles and the groups left. Rick was silent on the way back to the prison. When the car was stopped, he went off on his own inside the prison while Alex and Daryl positioned the car and motorcycle.

"Smoke?" Daryl offered the pack to her.

"No thanks. Those things will kill you." Alex teased, causing Daryl to laugh. "What I wouldn't give for a hot shower right now."

"Can't ya just deal for it?" Daryl asked, taking a puff of his cigarette.

"I can't exactly kiss myself now can I?" Alex said. "Besides, there's better things to deal for."

"Like what?"

"I dunno." Alex shrugged. "Food. Alcohol. Clothes. Sex."

Daryl nodded in agreement to the last one. "Didn't think that was ya thing. Dealin' for sex."

"I haven't but right now it's sounding pretty good." Alex said. Changing the subject she asked, "You have a girlfriend before all this?"

"Nah." Daryl said, taking another puff.

"I bet you're glad to have Carol now, though." Alex brushed her hair out of her face.

"What?" Daryl asked.

"You and Carol. You guys are good together." Alex said.

"We ain't together." Daryl said, dropping the cigarette butt on the ground and grinding it with the heel of his boot.

"Sorry. You guys are close I just assumed..." Alex let the sentence drop. "Well, that was nice and awkward. I'm going to go inside now."

"Hey." Daryl called after her, making her stop in her step and turn back to him. He closed the distance between them and she fell in step next to him. "Sorry bout Sam, Kitten."

"Had to be done." Alex said.

"Still, havin' to kill somebody ya care 'bout..." Daryl said.

"I didn't care about him. I think I haven't cared about anybody like that for a long time." Alex said. "I had the chance to possibly feel that way about Dean but he's gone now. Looks like I'm going to be an old maid."

"Nah." Daryl said. Alex tried to get him to elaborate but he stayed silent as they got inside the prison.

**A/N: **

**Dalonega: I always see fics where Daryl's super aloof and I think once he trusts somebody he's more open, especially if he's attracted to them. I'm glad you like the pairing. **

**As always thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a review. **


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